


M-Day By mjimeyg

by indian_sqaw



Series: Harry Potter: Aspect of Death [2]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, X-Men - All Media Types
Genre: F/M, This is a Repost all words belong to mjimeyg
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-29
Updated: 2019-09-29
Packaged: 2020-11-01 10:30:08
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 137,378
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20813654
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/indian_sqaw/pseuds/indian_sqaw
Summary: M-Day. A day that would go down in history as the emergence of a new breed of humans. The Magicals. It all started with one individual who thought he was there to save the mutants. Sequel to Potter's Protector, rating for violence and swearing, no slash.





	1. Chapter 1 - Chapter 5

**Author's Note:**

> This is a Repost all words belong to mjimeyg

*Chapter 1*: Chapter 1  
This story is the sequel hinted at in the epilogue of Potter's Protector. If you haven't read that then you won't have a clue about Harry and his abilities and this story will confuse you six ways from sunday. That said, if you haven't read Harry Potter or Marvel comics then... you're screwed. This story references several Marvel Series and contains quotes from the.

As with all the stories I write, this story is finished. It clocks in at 136,157 words and 25 chapters. Short of there being a major mistake or plot hole I missed I will not be changing this story, I have read it through five times since I finished it several months ago. I will be posting a chapter a day barring unforeseen distractions such as illness, emergencies and lack of IT equipment and services.

The ratings are for violence and swearing.

I am off now to continue the sequel to this story... no idea when that will be finished, but I'll let you know.

Disclaimer: If I owned the referenced properties of Harry Potter and Marvel Comics then I would not be posting these stories on a fanfiction site.

M-Day. A day that would go down in history as the start of the extinction of mutants, from millions worldwide to a paltry 198.

M-Day. A day that would go down in history as the emergence of a new breed of humans. The Magicals. It all started with one individual who thought he was there to save the mutants.

The students were in a panic.

Some of them had woken with their mutations gone.

This meant that some were free from pain, be it physical or mental, some had lost their disfigurements. A young boy was punching a wall ecstatically as his knuckles bled because he could finally feel something.

Others felt as though a piece of them had been cut out, their hearts torn from their bodies as they lost their powers which were second nature to them… as if their sight or hearing was ripped away, which in some cases had actually happened.

Then there were the few who hadn't lost their powers. Some were bewildered, not knowing how to help the others or what the hell was happening, or even worse… waiting for their powers to vanish.

The rest were unable to comprehend the cruelty of the fact that they were still cursed.

Into all of this commotion two people appeared in a burst of fire.

"There are so many souls!" The black haired, Caucasian male cried happily.

He grabbed a young boys face in both hands and stared happily into his eyes.

"Help me." The boy whimpered.

"Help you? You're perfectly fine, are you lost?"

"Harry, he's just lost his powers, he feels like he's dying." His red haired companion explained as she touched the boy's cheek causing him to sleep.

"Meh, I can give 'em back… maybe." Harry mused.

His companion Jean looked around and frowned. "Where are all the adults?" She wondered.

"Alright! Everyone, sleep!" Harry commanded.

Instantly there was quiet… and then the sound of thudding as bodies hit the floor.

"Oops." Harry winced. "Note self: Remember the cushioning charm." He looked around. "Dammit Jean! I didn't mean you too!" He groused as he woke the red head up.

"You really need to work on your people skills, Harry." She sighed.

"First things first, can you find your friends?" Harry asked as he took command.

Jean closed her eyes and focused.

"Hank is outside, he saved a girl from trying to fly without her powers, Emma is in the sub-levels trying to get to Cerebro and Logan is… oh god, one of the students died, drowned in the pool."

It was a sad thing to see someone die; Logan had seen lots of people die, killed most of them himself. But seeing this kid essentially commit accidental suicide was something else. Still dripping with water from the pool he had fished the boy out of he gently laid the body down.

He knelt there just staring at it for a few moments. Would the kid have been able to get his powers back if he had just waited? The kid would never find out.

He was startled as two people burst out of the house and started running towards him. His blood ran cold as he recognised the red head.

"Jean?" He croaked. "Oh god, not again."

The young man skidded to a halt on his knees next to the body. "Looks like I get to play with souls and I've only been here five minutes!" He said happily.

With a wave of his hand the body began to breathe, colour started returning to the skin.

"He was dead… what are you?" Logan asked, the children were the priority; he would deal with the Phoenix later.

"Death, and technically he still is dead, I just need a moment to shove his soul back in."

Logan was completely out of his depth with that statement. He decided to deal with what he knew he could, however painful. "Jeanie, why are you here? I can't keep killing you… it's killing me." He practically pleaded.

"Actually you can kill her as much as you like, she'll just keep coming back." The man muttered absently.

"Don't worry Logan, I am fully in control of my powers."

"And yet we still had to run here to save the kid."

"Not now Harry." She muttered back before turning to Logan again. "I'll explain later, but I've been gone a long time, training."

"You ain't been gone more than a year."

"Her time not yours."

"Harry, just focus on the boy." Jean admonished.

"But I'm finished. He'll wake up when we want him too."

"Then let's sort out the students and try and deal with this mess."

"What is this 'mess' Jean? Is this your doing?" Logan asked suspiciously.

"No, this is because of Wanda and her insanity."

Logan sighed. "It wasn't a dream."

"No, Harry has been sent here to help sort things out. Come on, let's put all the students in their rooms and then we can wake them one by one." She said as she grabbed Logan.

Logan was surprised to find himself surrounded by flame for a moment. But it didn't burn. Once it cleared he found himself standing in the foyer surrounded by unconscious children.

His nose picked out the scent of blood. Not an unusual thing in a house filled with women, but this was a lot of blood. He quickly followed it ignoring Jean who was hot on his heels.

"Shit." He muttered as he saw the boy with bloody knuckles. He moved to rip off his shirt but Jean stopped him.

"Harry?" She called out to the air.

Even Logan wouldn't be able to hear from all the way outside, but the man appeared.

"Must have hit a vein." Harry mused as he began healing the boy.

"Seriously, what are you?" Logan asked again.

"Seriously, Death."

"Jean…"

"Harry is literally the embodiment of death. He has the power to kill anything or even stop death."

"And you brought him here?!"

"He's not evil, Logan. He has the trust of some of the purest beings in existence."

"Seriously, ten million years of solitude and you decide to talk about me and not to me?" Harry groused.

"It was fifteen, Harry." Jean reminded him.

"Ten is easier to say."

Jean just rolled her eyes. All those years alone had left him slightly eccentric and more often than not, unhinged. But he was, without a doubt, a good man.

"Shall we wake him up?" Harry asked.

"Might as well start somewhere." Logan shrugged.

"Hey kid! Wake up!" Harry said loudly as he started slapping his cheeks lightly.

Logan was a little surprised that he didn't use his powers; he had a feeling he could, especially considering the look of annoyance on Jean's face.

"What happened?" The boy asked groggily. His face suddenly lit up in realisation. "I can feel!"

"Yeah, good for you kid. But let's not go experimenting by punching the walls, 'k?" Logan said firmly.

"But-"

"Once we get everyone awake, calm and sorted, we'll go outside and you can feel things to your hearts content, cool?" Harry offered.

"Fine." The boy suddenly got a strange look in his eye as he was mesmerised by something on Jean. His hand slowly reached out to her, they watched with curiosity as his hand travelled slowly yet surely.

And then he reached his destination and squeezed.

"Hey!"

"Wow, so soft." He said in awe.

"Right, back to sleep you." Harry smirked as he knocked the boy out.

Logan was just chuckling away.

"Shut up!" Jean snapped.

"Can't say I blame the kid, Jeanie, been a time or two I've wanted to sample them."

Jean just huffed in annoyance.

"Alright, let's tag this one as requiring supervision." Harry said as he waved his hand over the boy's chest and the word 'Supervise' appeared on his t-shirt.

"Death? Really?" Logan asked again.

"Fine, I'm also the Master of Magic." Harry sighed irritatedly.

"That one actually makes more sense."

"Yeah, but Death is shorter and easier to say."

"Let's deal with this one next, her hand is badly injured." Jean said indicating a young blond girl.

"I know this one. Laurie. Strange, looks like Wither grabbed her wrist. His powers would do this."

"He attacked her?" Jean asked as Harry went to work.

"No, he likes her, probably thought his mutation was gone too." Logan explained.

"Well, we can sort him out too." Harry shrugged as he healed her hand. "Ok, she's done. Can we wake her without having to worrying if she's gonna start molesting the adults?" He asked with a grin at Jean.

"She can be a little flakey, but she's got a good head on her shoulders. If she has her powers she might be useful."

"Oh?"

"She can affect moods."

"Cool, I'll just wake her."

"Magically, Harry." Jean prompted.

"But I like hitting people… well, touching I guess. You know that you're the only one I've had to touch for the past ten million-"

"Fifteen."

"-years."

"I am sure there will be plenty of people willing to let you touch them later, let's try not to traumatise them any more than they already are." She admonished.

Logan was just getting more and more confused. Alcohol was what he needed, and lots of it.

"Laurie, can you hear me?" Jean called to the girl softly.

"Professor?" She asked blearily. As her vision cleared she realised it wasn't her professors. "Professor Grey, aren't you dead? And who are you?" She asked noticing Harry.

"They're here to help with the current crisis." Logan told her, better to keep her calm then worry about the dead lady and her friend Death. "You still got your powers kid?"

"Yes sir. My hand! Why did Kevin do that?" She asked as she examined the newly rejuvenated limb.

"He probably thought he lost his powers too." Logan offered.

"Listen kid, we need to wake all these people up. We need to do it one by one so we can keep them calm, unlike the mayhem from earlier. Can you keep them calm as we wake them? Also point out anyone who might be able to help out and not lose their minds."

"Yes sir."

"What the hell is going on and who the hell are… oh god!" Emma Frost stopped in the doorway to the room as she saw the formerly deceased Jean Grey-Summers. "You can't have him back." She stated firmly.

Jean just smirked. "Don't worry, we'll work out a timeshare or something."

Emma just growled.

"Wow, I love your dress code." Harry said as he admired the blond haired woman who was dressed all in white with very little covering a very large pair of breasts. "You guys still use fake breasts?" He asked a little disgusted.

"Excuse me?" Emma demanded.

"You have implants in your breasts."

Emma's arms shot across her chest to cover herself.

"Seriously? You walk around like that and expect people not to stare or make comments?" Harry walked over to Emma leaving a snickering Jean and Logan and a highly embarrassed Laurie.

"Most people aren't quite so crude." She snapped.

"I'm talking from a medical standpoint. Here, try this." Harry suggested as he waved a hand over her causing her to flinch.

Emma felt… different. "What did you do?"

"I removed your implants, currently you are being… inflated… by a form of energy. I am currently growing your tissue to fill it out." Harry explained. "Nearly done.

"Please stop trying to read my mind, you'll only get hurt." Harry sighed.

"There is a dragon in your mind, what are you?"

"De-"

"He's the Master of Magic." Logan interrupted, the last thing he needed was to deal with panic over the guys title.

"Did something happen to Doctor Strange?" Emma asked worriedly.

"No, Harry is a different entity all together." Jean assured her.

"I hate magic." She groused.

"Really? Because so far magic has helped bring a boy back from the dead, prevent another from bleeding out, fixed that girl's withered hand and has now given you real big boobies instead of dangerous implants." Harry scowled.

"And when it all goes spinning out of control?" She demanded.

"That's what I am here for. To either make sure it doesn't 'spin out of control' or to fix it when it does."

"Can we deal with this later? We have a ton of unconscious kids who are gonna be panicky and terrified when they wake up." Logan pointed out in annoyance.

It took a while but they eventually managed to get everyone sorted into groups. Harry lumped them together in groups, those that were happy and those who were unhappy.

"Right, I need a place to examine the unhappy ones first, then I can check out the happy ones." Harry stated.

"These are children, they are not here for your personal experiments!" Emma snapped.

"Emma, he's a doctor, like Hank and I. He just has far better healing methods." Jean assured him.

"Unfortunately neither of you can be trusted, you are supposed to be dead, Jean dear." She sniped. "And the last time you came back we had to kill you… again!"

"Yes, yes, you can have your female pissing contest later. Logan, take me to your hospital wing so I can prepare then send me the worst of the unhappy kids."

Logan still wasn't sure about the new guy. He and Jean had appeared out of nowhere, but he'd done nothing but help, even bringing a kid back from death.

Logan grunted with a nod and started walking.

Harry was a little surprised when the trip through the regal manor descended into a sub base made of silver metal. It was a stark contrast, he was even more shocked when he saw the current residents of the infirmary.

"Dude, you're a blue cat!" He stated with a snort.

Hank had started off with a very trying day. He'd woken to the screams of terror and panic and then had to leap through a window to save young Melody, they were both covered in cuts and embedded glass. Now this young man had decided to be rude.

"Logan, who is this? I am quite busy and fear I will soon be inundated." He snapped.

"Sorry, just never seen anyone like you before, Hi, I'm Harry." Harry grinned as he held out his hand to shake.

Hank sighed. "No, I apologise, I am rather tense at the moment. It is not a good day to meet new people."

"What if that new person was here to help?" He said waving a hand over Melody causing her wounds to heal.

"Amazing." Hank said in awe. He then realised his own wounds were healed. "Thank you. Alas, if you could only return her ability to fly and you would have completely healed her."

Harry just snorted. For a moment Hank thought he was doubting him. Then Harry rose off of the floor to hover there. "I might be able to work something out." He smirked.

"What are you?" Hank whispered.

"He's the Master of Magic." Logan inserted quickly. "And Stephen is apparently fine."

"Yeah, he also seems to be a bit of a voyeur." Harry frowned. A wave of his hand and black haired man with a moustache and greying sideburns appeared. "If you've time to watch you've time to help." Harry ordered.

"Yes My Lord." Dr. Strange said with a deep bow, shocking Hank and Logan.

"For the love of… it's just 'Harry', unless you need me to beat you down." Harry groaned.

"Of course. Hank, Logan, do whatever he says, he means no harm and is here to help." He told the gobsmacked pair. "I will go and aid Jean and Emma."

As Stephen marched off, Harry turned to the young girl. He gently woke her.

Tears began to fill her eyes.

"Easy now kid. I know you can't fly at the minute but I am here to help, I can help you fly again. Ok?" Harry said soothingly.

"Really?" She asked with only a thin slither of hope.

"I promise." Harry assured her. "Now, I need you to be strong for me, upstairs the adults need your help to deal with the others, go and see Jean and Emma and offer your help ok?"

"Yes sir." She said as she wiped her eyes and slipped off the bed.

Over the next two hours Harry saw a multitude of children most of them were easy to placate with promises to help them over the next few days. Some were unable to mentally cope so they were magically forced to sleep and kept in the infirmary till they could be counselled by Emma or Jean, Harry was not the type of person to provide counselling. Not unless insanity was the goal.

By 2pm the adults were assembled in Emma's office.

"Well, it's official. Over two thirds of the students have been… de-powered." Hank sighed as he sank into one of the chairs opposite Emma's desk. Emma sat behind the desk and Scott standing behind her warily looking at Jean like she might attack… or disappear.

"Do we know how we became de-powered? Did someone just rip out our x-gene?" Danielle Moonstar asked angrily.

"That does seem to be the case."

"So we just recreate the gene, like cloning." Bobby suggested as he kept touching his face.

"Bobby! Stop that, you'll make yourself sore!" Jean snapped.

"I'm sorry! This is new to me, haven't felt my skin in ages!" He snapped back. "Still not sure if this is a good thing. Doesn't feel quite right."

"We need to establish an immediate plan. The world knows what has happened and there are going to be some who are going to take advantage of that."

Scott's orders were interrupted as alarms started blaring.

"Scott, we've got Sentinels incoming!" Alex Summers called over the comms.

"Speak of the devil." Hank sighed.

The team made their way outside to join the others as they watched several Sentinels descend upon the mansion.

"Stay in formation, X-Men. Until we find out what this means." Cyclops ordered.

"It means the end for us Cyke… unless we do something about it. Now!" Wolverine growled as he unsheathed his claws.

He began rushing the Sentinels with others on his tail, Beast, Gambit and Rogue amongst them.

"No! Get back into defensive formation!" Cyclops shouted.

"X-MEN! STAND DOWN! STAND DOWN!" The lead Sentinel boomed.

"They wouldn't listen to Scott, why would they listen to you?" Bobby muttered.

Surprising the X-Men, the Sentinels didn't open with lethal force; instead they deployed smoke bombs, disorientating the mutants.

As Beast and Wolverine neared one of the Sentinels, it fired a rocket, only for it to explode open and deploy nets for capture, Wolverine easily sliced through them. Making his way up the body he began hacking at the neck. He managed to hit something vital, it flooded him with electricity but also caused it to randomly fire it's weapons, hitting another Sentinel and making it topple onto the Mansion.

"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON OUT HERE!" Came a booming voice.

Everyone halted and turned towards the overpowering voice to see a huge hulking dragon, clearly enraged, glaring at them all.

"I HAVE A WHOLE BUNCH OF KIDS TRYING TO COPE WITH SEVERE TRAUMA AND YOU LOT ARE TRYING TO KILL EACH OTHER! PACK IT IN!" It roared angrily.

"Scott… are you seeing what I'm seeing?" Alex asked fearfully.

"God I hope not."

"That is so damned cool."

"Not now Santo." Cyclops groaned.

Cyclops began slowly walking towards the hulking behemoth with his hands out peacefully. "WE MEAN NO HARM!" He shouted as calmly as he could, he really didn't want to get eaten.

"Then for god's sake stop blasting everything in sight!" The dragon vanished only to be replaced by Harry. "Now who the hell started this?" He turned to the giant Sentinels. "Did you start this?"

"No, they didn't." A female voice called.

"Val? What the hell?" Alex demanded.

"Hey, I came in peace!" The beautiful blonde declared with her hands raised placatingly.

"You brought Sentinels to a known mutant home. There ain't nothing peaceful about that." Rogue scowled.

"We didn't fire first!"

"You didn't call first either, Val." Scott frowned. "There aren't many ways to interpret your actions other than: bad."

"And I suppose if I called and said a few Sentinels and I were dropping by, you'd have sent us a gold-embossed invitation? Really rolled out the red carpet?" She asked sarcastically.

"My guess is that they wouldn't have attacked what seems to be an established enemy of mutants. If I'm understanding this right." Harry returned.

"Mutants, and the X-Men in particular are well known to attack Sentinels on sight."

"And yet you blame them when they attack the ones you bring here? God that's like sticking a bottle in a babies mouth and expecting it not to suck!" Harry said throwing his hands up in frustration.

Val realised they were getting off track. "Let's just focus here, these aren't your standard Sentinels. They are human controlled, see?"

As she spoke hatches opened on the backs and disks began to descend with uniformed men on board.

One of the men addressed them. "Hello. As some of you might know, Doctor Cooper is Deputy National Security Advisor for Mutant Affairs, Office of National Emergency."

"An' who're you? Her pet poodle?" Santo asked snidely.

"I'm Alexander Lexington, Sentinel Squad Leader."

Lexington stepped forward and held out his hand to Cyclops. "Cyclops. I've heard a lot about you. It's a pleasure to meet you sir."

"Somehow I don't think the feeling is reciprocated, Lex." One of the female pilots joked as Scott ignored the hand.

"Really? Why would you think that?" Harry asked incredulously. "It's not like you stormed their home with vehicles of extreme destructive power with no warning? Oh wait! You did!" Harry snapped. "Now why the hell are you here, like I said, I've got some very fragile kids in that building. They don't need to be threatened by evil governments."

"We are not an evil government!" Val said angrily. "We are here to protect you."

Harry turned and gestured to the fallen sentinel that had crushed a substantial part of the Mansion. "Great job! There were twenty kids in that section. What the hell would your explanation have been if I hadn't moved them in time?"

"Who are you?" Val asked, she had never met the man before.

"Dr. Harry Potter."

"Doctor of what?" One of the pilots asked.

"Mainly medicine, but I have a fair few doctorates in other subjects."

"You can't be more than twenty-five."

"No, I don't look more than twenty-five." Harry smirked. "Look, you want to protect? You can be the first line of defence. Go and protect from outside the property boundaries. You encroach and I will hide this place so well that you will forget it even exists."

"What are you?" Val asked again.

"The Master of Magic, but if you piss me off enough you'll learn my true identity."

"Yeah, what's that?" Snorted one of the male pilots.

"Go ahead, piss me off. Find out." Harry taunted.

"That's enough Briggs." Lexington snapped. "The rest of you, back in your cockpits." He ordered. "Your orders Ma'am?" He asked Val.

"Doctor Potter is right. We screwed up on our introductions, we should also act to provide-"

They were interrupted by the sound of gunfire and incoming projectiles.

Harry reacted instinctively by throwing up a diamond shield.

"Those had damn well better not be your people." Harry growled at Val.

"It's probably the Sapien Leaguers. We had reports they were swarming this place… what the hell is that shield made of?"

"Diamond, thanks for the warning on the League, by the way." He turned to Cyclops. "You got anyone out there beyond the shield?"

"I don't know, let me check?" He focused his thoughts. "Emma, is there anyone beyond the shield?"

"Bobby is there and so are two other mutants, all three are terrified."

"We have three out there, including Bobby."

"Right, you, you and you." He said pointing at Logan, Rogue and Hank. "Go find the other two, I can get Bobby, I'll join you once I'm done."

To the surprise of the rest of them, the four individuals vanished.

"What the hell is he?" Val asked again.

Suddenly Bobby appeared in front of them.

"What's up guys? Why are you looking at me like that?" He asked warily. The new guy, Harry, had just said he was going to send him back to the others.

"Bobby, you're ice again." Cyclops said, still staring.

"Just gettin' my powers back I'm a proper X-Man again. This is good… right, Scott? Good?" He asked worriedly.

"Ah… yes Bobby. Outstanding. No touching until Emma runs some tests." He cautioned.

"Is that Harry up there?" Bobby asked pointing to the large dragon making strafing runs on an enemy beyond the tree line.

"Dammit! He's gonna kill them!" Scott swore.

"At least he proved we don't need no stinkin' robots to protect us." Came Logan's gravelly voice.

They turned around to see the three X-Men and the two mutants they were looking for.

"These two came looking for sanctuary." Beast explained their guests.

"Provisionally granted." Cyclops gave them a nod.

"And this is why we are here." Val said pointedly. "More and more mutants will come here, you are going to need protection."

"Looks ta me like that Harry's got it covered." Rogue scowled. She really didn't like Sentinels, but then, no X-Man did.

"As much as I hate to admit it, she's right." Cyclops frowned. "Harry was also right about you being the first line of defence. If you are so intent on 'protecting' us, do it from beyond our property."

Harry suddenly appeared and clapped his hands gleefully. "I am sooo happy to be back around people! So much fun!" He enthused as the others looked at him worriedly. "Now, those naughty men are all boxed up and ready for you to arrest or kill… or whatever it is you lot do in this universe. Take your mechanical monstrosities and bugger off!" With a wave of his hand the Sentinels and O*N*E personnel vanished. The silhouettes of Sentinels could be seen in the distance.

Harry turned to the gobsmacked X-Men. "If you will excuse me I assume I have patients waiting for me. Hank, care to join me?"

"I… erm…"

"Why don't I just take that as a yes." Harry said as they both vanished.

Despite the fact that Harry managed to heal everyone with a wave of his hand, Hank still wanted them in over night for observation. By the time they were finished the rest of the X-Men had arrived to either visit the injured or continue interrogating Harry.

"What gives you the right to come in here and start giving orders and making decisions?" Emma demanded.

"Nothing. Although I am older, more experienced, more powerful and definitely nicer than you!" He grinned.

There was a muttered "Damn straight!" Somewhere in the back.

"Tell me, have I done or ordered anything that would infringe on your current freedoms and safety? Have I done anything that will affect what you would do on a normal day?"

"Normal is, unfortunately, an oxymoron around here." Hank sighed. "However, I would have to say that Harry has been nothing but helpful. I would like an explanation on how you and Jean came to be here though."

"Agreed. We have given you a lot of trust because of the urgency of the situation, but we do need some more info." Scott affirmed.

"Fine. I am from another universe slash reality. I get fuzzy on the specifics. I am completely unkillable… trust me, you name it I've tried it. I have been alive for over ten million years."

"Fifteen." Logan muttered, he had no idea why he had said that.

"I have complete control over magic, I was a healer and teacher back in my home and I am also Death. I literally have control over Death, I can stop it or cause it. I can even bring someone back to life providing they haven't crossed over.

"Oh, and I spent the last ten million years plus, alone after everyone on my planet died out."

"What about all the other planets?" Hank asked.

"Lifeless. Earth was the only inhabited planet and I was the only person capable of living on another planet."

"Strange… we have an abundance of inhabited planets in this universe."

Harry's face lit up. "Really? That's great! I might actually have a long time in this universe!" He said as did a little dance of joy. It wasn't helping his credibility with the assembled group.

"What about Jean?" Scott asked. Emma gave a slight scowl at her name.

"She is a phoenix. Apparently she kept dying and going to join the Phoenix Council before her time and they kept sending her back, but because she didn't understand what was happening she would go a little nuts. So a friend brought her to me so I could help train her."

"How did you do that?" Bobby asked.

"Just kept killing her till she figured out how to stay put in her current dimension." He shrugged.

"Why would you need to train her, why couldn't they, The 'Phoenix Council'?" Alex asked.

"They could, but this was a favour from my friend as I had been alone for so long, Jean was to also help ease me back into dealing with other people."

"But why are you here? Why this universe?" Hank queried.

"Because of the mutant problem."

"We are not a 'problem'." Emma snapped.

"Never said you were, but you do have a problem, you are mutants, you are persecuted and now you are nearly extinct… hence 'mutant problem'."

Emma just huffed. It was a strangely ineffective counter-argument.

"You can prevent our extinction?" Hank asked.

"Erm… maybe I can reverse it. I don't know for sure, need to investigate things first."

"Hate to sound self-centred, but can we focus on me for a bit?" Bobby asked hesitantly. "I was de-powered this morning and now I'm a walking Popsicle… again."

"Yeah, if I read things right, you were never 'de-powered'. Not like the others, my guess is you found your powers off switch." Harry explained.

"Actually, I was in Robert's mind, he was terrified at the time." Emma explained.

"I would be too if you were in my mind." Harry shrugged. "I have a very extensive collection of nudes in there."

"Cool… think you could share them?" Bobby asked, seeming to forget they were discussing his current issues.

"As I was saying!" Emma interrupted. "Robert was terrified-"

"I thought I was pretty chill."

"It is not a criticism, Robert." She assured him. "I couldn't find what I was looking for in the Corpus Callosum, so… I went for the Hypothalamus… there was a tiny abnormality behind the pituitary body. A resistance."

"I prefer Harry's explanation." Bobby sighed.

"Fine! I turned you on! Happy?" Emma threw up her hands in resignation, damned plebeians.

"Can you do that for anyone?" Lorna asked timidly with a small ray of hope in her voice.

"Nah, you are different. Bobby's was psychological. You are missing a key component, which powers your mutation."

"Can you turn someone's mutation off?" Rogue asked with just as much hope.

"Oh yeah, destruction is always much simpler than creation." Harry assured her. "For the record, you already have an off switch, so does Scott, you just can't seem to reach it."

"Can you show me how?"

"Sure, but I don't know when we'll have time, I have a planet to try and re-power."

"I believe we should deal with this tomorrow. It has been a very stressful and eventful day, we all need our rest." Hank suggested.

"Sure, I don't really need to sleep, I'll stay up and keep watch for any problems."

"I'll stay with you. I want to stay near Gambit anyhow." Rogue offered.

Fortunately this alleviated the worries of leaving the stranger alone in their home.

"Wait, what about Jean?" Scott asked, causing Emma to scowl again.

"She doesn't need sleep either. She's keeping an eye on the kids making sure they are sleeping ok." Harry told him. "Go! Sleep! Lot's to do tomorrow!"

Once the others had filed out Harry turned to Rogue with a knowing smirk on his face. "You want to get started?"

She just nodded vigorously.

"Take off your gloves, you need to touch my skin."

"But-"

"Seriously, if you can drain me, you'll be my bestest friend ever, I have been looking for a way to kill myself for years… millions of them."

Rogue sighed but removed her gloves.

Harry didn't hesitate but grabbed her hand. "Well, you can still be my friend." He sighed as nothing happened.

"But I can feel it working, but I'm not… receiving anything." Rogue frowned.

"Yeah, sucks to be me. Ok, focus on the feeling of it working. That is the feeling you need to control and try and stop."

"This is gonna to take a long time isn't it?"

"There is a quicker way, but you may not enjoy it." Harry offered.

"Can't be any worse than not being able to touch the man I love."

"Just because you aren't draining me, doesn't mean I can't let you drain me. I could flood you with… well, me. Eventually your powers would evolve to deal with the problem… shutting them down."

"And it won't be enjoyable because…" She waved a hand expectantly.

"Your mind and body will be flooded with foreign memories, I can remove them later, like I said, but you still have to receive them first."

"How long will this take?"

"No idea, all depends on how quickly you evolve, we should be finished by daybreak though."

The following day Rogue grabbed Gambit and they weren't seen for the better part of two days. Scott was worried that something might be wrong so he asked Emma to take a mental peak… she nearly succeeded in dragging the dour X-Man away to their room for the better part of two days herself.

She was foiled by Jean who had decided it was time to talk to them.

"I just wanted to talk to you guys about what me being back means for the three of us." She said hesitantly.

"You left, so Harry tells it. You gave up your rights as a wife." Emma said heatedly.

"Actually, I didn't leave, I… guess I got lost… it's not like I had a map or tutor on how not to die and stay around!" She explained heatedly. "Look, I just wanted to tell you that I don't want you two to stop or change your relationship. I know you love each other and you shouldn't let my return affect that or how you express it to each other. But both of you need to realise a few important things:

"Firstly, Scott and I still love each other, hopefully, when you get used to me being back you can let me back in and become a wife again.

"Sec-"

"You expect me to just leave?!" Emma demanded.

"No, Emma. I want you both to let me in. Not replace you, join you. Which leads to my second point.

"Harry and I have been together for nearly a thousand years, he knows me better than anyone. So don't be surprised if you find me leaving his room or being affectionate. Harry spent a thousand years explaining that humans have an infinite capacity to love, Harry had multiple wives and girlfriends, and some of his girlfriends had multiple boyfriends."

"You want me to have two 'wives' and share you with Harry?" Scott asked incredulously.

"And anyone else I love. But the choice is yours, just think about it."

"So what about me? Am I allowed to sleep with other men?" Emma demanded, she was not going to be considered a lesser partner in the relationship.

"Fine by me, but make sure you are both ok about it before you do." Jean warned them. "Well, I'll leave you both to go and 'make whoopee'!" She said as she sauntered off with grin.

"'Make whoopee'?" Scott muttered quietly.

Emma proceeded to give him a detailed explanation complete with a physical demonstration.

*Chapter 2*: Chapter 2  
Authors Note: Some chapters are substantially shorter than others, this was merely as I couldn't find a better place to split the story. But I wouldn't worry too much considering you get an update a day, I believe the average chapter length is 4000 words.

Chapter 2

By the end of the first day, Lorna was getting antsy. It wasn't that she was just impatient to get her powers back and feel whole again, there was something she needed to do. She had seen something in space during a recent mission and she needed to be there when it arrived.

"Harry?" She called as she entered the infirmary.

"Over here Lorna."

She followed the voice to find Harry standing over the teenage boy who could kill with his touch, Wither.

"Excellent! We could use a test subject." Harry smiled as she approached.

She hesitated for a moment.

"Don't worry, I just turned off Kevin's powers. He just needs someone to make sure it worked."

She was still a little worried.

"Don't worry Miss. Doctor Potter healed Laurie when I accidentally hurt her hand." Kevin assured her, there was a large dose of shame in his voice.

"She'll forgive you." Harry assured him. "If you want, you could always offer to let her slap you in retaliation… she can do that now." He grinned.

"I… I'll think about it. I'm not that much of a sadist." Kevin said with a small smile.

"What do you say, Lorna?" Harry asked.

Lorna took a deep breath and stuck out her hand.

Kevin slowly inched his hand out, just as nervously.

When Lorna realised that he was just as nervous as she was, she shot her hand forward and grabbed his.

Kevin gasped. He began feeling her hand, caressing it… he then stopped and dropped it like it was red hot, his face was very red.

Harry just chuckled. "At least he wasn't as bad as young Matthew, first thing he did after we woke him up was grab Jean's breasts!"

Unfortunately this made the pair blush even more. "And the less said about what Rogue did to Remy the better!"

"Erm… are we done, Doctor?" Kevin seemed anxious to leave, Lorna felt the same.

Harry just rolled his eyes. "Yeah, go find Laurie and tell her the good news."

Kevin was off like a shot.

Lorna watched him go with a sad smile.

"So, Lorna, what can I do for you?"

"My powers, are you any closer to fixing them?"

"Not yet, I've been a bit swamped with patients and dealing with everything. I've only actually been in this world for over a day." He said apologetically. "Are you having adverse affects?" He asked professionally.

"No… other than the loss." She said clearly depressed. "There is something I need to do, and I will need to leave soon. I just want to know if I can leave with my powers."

"Can you tell me what you need to do?"

"We were in space recently, I saw something up there and I know it is coming here. I need to be there when it arrives."

"Is it dangerous?"

"I don't know, that's one of the reasons I would prefer to have my powers back." She sighed as she sat on the bed.

"The feeling of loss you are experiencing is natural. You have essentially lost a limb. When I was fourteen a mad man cut off my hand, for several months, even with an artificial hand which I crafted with magic, I felt the loss and suffered mentally."

Lorna gasped.

"You will get over the loss, I might eventually be able to give you your powers back… if you still want them. Or, I can give you something else… something a whole lot better."

Lorna looked at him curiously.

"I can make you a witch, give you access to power like mine."

"Like?"

"You won't be as powerful as me, you won't have the same control as me. But you can fly, levitate anything, conjure things, transfigure things, even teleport and walk through things."

"That sounds very powerful." Lorna said slightly amazed that Harry was offering such a thing.

"It does take skill and practice."

"What's the catch?" She asked suspiciously.

"The only catch is that you might find yourself discriminated against for a whole new reason." Harry shrugged.

"So nothing new." She smiled.

"If I find you've gone evil I will remove the powers though." He warned.

"Good, I've gone off the rails before, quite a few of us have." She admitted with some shame.

"You in?"

Lorna didn't really have to think about it. "I'm in… but I might need a new codename, Polaris won't really fit anymore." She smiled.

"You never know, some people find they have an affinity for certain things, me I get on well with magic and healing… my best friend could make any plant grow."

Harry hopped up off the bed he was sitting on.

"Ok, I'm going to put my hand on your chest and pump power into you. I want you to focus on that feeling, you need to find it later to perform magic."

Lorna just nodded.

It was a weird feeling, Harry's hand on her sternum but slightly to the left, more like it was over her heart. The power was warm, it filled her up and made her feel content, chasing away the horrors and sadness of the last few days.

"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON!"

"Not now Bobby!" Lorna warned worriedly, she didn't want to interrupt Harry and screw things up.

"Why the hell is he touching your boobs?!" Bobby had clearly lost control, he was in full ice mode.

"Doctor Potter is providing medical aid, now shut up and let him work!" Lorna snapped, but she happened to notice Harry was fighting not to laugh, he had his back turned to Bobby as he kept pouring in the power.

"Why the hell can't he wear a white coat and stethoscope." Bobby muttered.

"Because I can see a heartbeat and I can clean any blood off with a wave of my hand." Harry answered. "And you are officially a witch!" He said removing his hand from Lorna's chest.

"Hey! Watch who you're calling names buddy."

"For the god's sake Bobby! He just turned me into a magical being, instead of a mutant I am a witch. Will you please grow up!"

"Go easy on him Lorna, he is having a hard time with his mutation." Harry said soothingly. "Now, whilst I help Bobby, you focus on the feeling of power, I want you to tell it to make your finger light up like E.T." He instructed as he gave a demonstration.

"I love that movie!" Bobby declared with a big goofy smile.

"Get over here." Harry ordered as he moved to another bed. "Seriously, most mutant's powers… most powers in general are tied to emotions. You need to learn control, can you meditate?"

"I can sleep?" He said sheepishly.

"Really not what we are looking for. You need to focus your mind. Go and grab a bucket and some water, sit outside and focus on forming the water into various shapes, try not to get distracted. Do it until you are physically tired, then go to sleep and do the same thing tomorrow, do it for at least an hour a day afterwards."

"Shapes? That's what you want me to do?" He asked disappointedly.

"Only if you want control. And I mean perfect geometric shapes." Harry said pointedly. "Now get out of here. Lorna seems to have moved on to creating a disco."

Sure enough, Lorna was sitting on the bed cross-legged with various lights floating in her palm.

"That is so cool, can you do that for all of us?"

"Yes, but I need to focus on those that are suffering first. Then deal with the persecution and then I will start dealing with mutant to magical revolutions. Besides giving you additional powers will be confusing and hinder your attempts to gain control over your ice forms."

Bobby nodded in understanding, gave a wave to Lorna and jogged out.

Harry walked over to Lorna. "You seem to have found your magic and become fast friends with it."

"It feels great!" She said. It made Harry very happy to see the green haired woman so up beat. She had been almost suicidal since he arrived.

"Right, let's get you sorted with the basics then."

Over the next hour he taught Lorna the basics of flying, teleportation, phasing, mental communication and even some transfiguration. He told her to figure the rest out for herself.

"I have two favours to ask of you." Harry said carefully.

Lorna's expression froze, there was a catch.

"First, here is a list of students that are suffering badly from losing their powers or keeping them. I'd like you to go and find them and show off your new abilities, tell them I can give them the same and basically offer them some hope."

Lorna relaxed a bit, so far nothing but helping people be happy like her.

"Secondly, and lastly. I'd like you to take some friends with you on your journey. I have a pair in mind and will go and ask them whilst you go play."

"Why?" She asked curiously.

"These powers are new to you. Also, whenever you go into an unknown situation, always take backup. Take it from someone with millions of years of experience." He advised.

"Ok, I can handle that." She sighed.

"Good, now off you go."

She jumped off the bed and ran for the door with a huge grin on her face.

"Oi! Did I just give you magical powers or what?!" Harry called out. "You're supposed to be showing off! Make an entrance."

Lorna blushed then focused and vanished, leaving a chuckling Harry to find Remy and Rogue.

It didn't take long for Harry to track them down. He had spent all night with Rogue and had her scent down pretty well. What did take time was convincing them to put some clothes on so he could talk to them.

"About time!" Harry commented as Remy opened the door, clearly in one of Rogue's shorter nightgowns. "You couldn't have just thrown on your trousers?"

Remy just muttered about not being able to find them.

Harry waved his hand and they were both dressed in the clothes he had last seen them in. "I need a favour. And it is a fairly big one." Harry warned as he conjured a chair.

"Mon ami, I be happy to give you anything up to and including our first born!" Gambit declared with a scary amount of sincerity.

"Excuse me!" Rogue was not quite on the same page.

"No, no. Nothing quite that big. It's Lorna, she wants to head off somewhere, says there is something from space coming and she wants to be there when it arrives. I just turned her into a magical, she has a limited form of what I can do. But I'd much rather she had backup as she will still be learning."

"When and how long?" Rogue asked. Whilst she might not be willing to sacrifice her children on Harry's altar, she was willing to do a lot for the man who freed her from her curse.

"Sometime in the next few days. Once you get to wherever you wind up, she can bring you back here in the blink of an eye. But she will need company on the journey there and dealing with what she finds. She is currently riding on the high of her new powers, she may need further counselling when she crashes."

"Why us?" Remy asked.

"Truthfully? I'm playing on the trust I have gained by helping you both. Only Jean really trusts me but even Lorna will be having trouble dealing with someone who was dead up until a day or so ago."

"Sounds a little manipulative." Rogue commented, not that she seemed put out or upset.

"Not really, think about it, if you needed some thing important done you would go to the people you trust and who trust you. I didn't know about Lorna going off until about two hours ago."

"Ok, we'll go, but why don't you just go?" Rogue asked.

"My primary responsibilities are to the kids, ensuring their safety and well-being." Harry explained.

Harry made his way up the majestic wooden staircase, he needed to speak with Scott and Emma. He reached the top only to find himself tumbling back down the stairs as someone screamed in horror.

"Damned stairs are worse than Hogwarts." He muttered as he picked himself up.

"Oh my god! Don't move, I'll find Professor McCoy." The young lady said in a panic.

"I'm fine, take a whole lot more than a tumble down the stairs to hurt me." Harry assured her. He then noticed she had been crying. "What's wrong? You're upset."

"It's nothing, I… they fired me… first I lose my powers and now I lose my job… because I lost my powers. If I ever find the bastard-"

"My understanding is that the person who did this was absolutely not mentally culpable." Harry interrupted. "Look, stick around, I may have a job for you."

"You know who did this?" She asked angrily.

"No, I know who was at the epicentre. The person who did this was no more responsible than a baby for its mother dying in child birth." Harry warned. "Look, go and find Lorna, tell her I said you were to stick with her whilst she shows off and that afterwards I might have the same offer for you."

Harry didn't wait for an answer, he just jogged up the stairs and knocked on the Headmistress' door and entered.

Scott and Emma were in the middle of a huge fight.

"It's the right thing to do! These people need protection and we are the best people to offer it!"

"And what if these people are Magneto, Blob or Sabertooth? Will you be offering sanctuary to them too?" Emma demanded.

"Sanctuary?" Harry asked, startling the other two as they noticed him.

"Harry, how can we help you?" Scott asked tightly. Despite the good he had done, Harry Potter was an unknown player, a very powerful player.

"For starters you can tell me you aren't about to invite every remaining mutant to stay on the grounds!" Harry said heatedly.

"Not that this concerns you, but it's the right thing to do."

"Offering sanctuary? Yes. Offering it here? Hell no!" He retorted. "If you want to offer sanctuary to people like Emma mentioned and Jean told me about, then you can do it elsewhere. This is a school, the students come first, nothing is allowed to compromise their safety."

"Thank you!" Emma said as she slumped back in her chair.

"Don't get too relaxed, what's the big idea firing… the… the Native American Indian girl, the one who just left?" Harry realised he hadn't got her name, that was embarrassing.

"She no longer has her powers, she has no place here, she is not only in danger here but a danger to everyone living here. You just said the students safety comes first."

"Oh this has got to be good." Harry scoffed as he sat in one of the chairs opposite. "Go on, explain how she is a danger." He challenged.

"If we are attacked she will be unable to defend herself or the students. That makes her a danger to us." She said with a hint of smugness.

Harry just stared at her.

A good thirty seconds passed and Scott was worried Emma might have broken him or was communicating telepathically. Neither were moving, just staring.

"Bullshit." Harry stated firmly.

"Fact."

"Are you telling me she doesn't know hand-to-hand? First aid? How to handle weapons? How to deal with scared children and react in a crisis?"

"She can do all those." Scott admitted, much to Emma's clear annoyance.

"I'm guessing she also knows how to relate to young mutants. Try again Emma, why is she a danger or in danger?"

Emma bristled with anger. "Who the hell are you to come here and tell us how to do things? What gives you the right?" She demanded angrily.

"I am someone who brought peace, equality and prosperity to my old world. I am someone with the power to back up my promises. I was a warrior, a healer, a student, a teacher. I was a king. I am Death.

"Existence has given me these rights. The purest creatures in existence have decreed me beyond them and given me their blessing to the point of actually sending me here and asking for my help.

"What the fuck gives you the right to play with these peoples lives and safety? What gives you the right to throw someone away because of a minor change?" Harry was so angry smoke and heat billowed from his mouth and nose.

"Woah! Harry, relax! What's going on?" Jean asked worriedly as she flamed into the room.

"Harry? Was that you?" Lorna asked as she too appeared, Lorna definitely shocked Scott, Emma was feeling highly chastised, not that she would admit it.

"Oh, he powered you up!" Jean said happily. "Don't worry, what you felt was Harry's emotions getting away with him. Emotions affect our powers and Harry has more than anything in creation." She explained as she began massaging Harry's shoulders.

"My Lord! I sensed your distress!" Doctor Strange was now also in the house.

"WHY IS EVERYONE POPPING INTO MY OFFICE!" Emma shouted angrily.

"Emma. Enough. Be quiet for a while. I think we are in big trouble." Scott warned quietly. Stephen Strange did not teleport anywhere on a whim.

"Stephen, I am highly irritated." Harry growled. "It was a shame you couldn't bring yourself to kill Wanda before this happened, but what is happening to mutants is highly unacceptable. Inform your friends and anyone in power that I am here, if they do not start aiding mutants and respecting them appropriately… they will come to know me personally."

Stephen's eyes widened in horror at the thought. "As you wish My Lord."

"I will be defending this school from anyone who tries to harm it. Scott has desires to set up a sanctuary, I believe your friends the Avengers would be a good place to get good publicity."

"Captain America would be honoured to help. I will go now." Stephen paused as something occurred to him. "If I might request your aid with a minor issue. One of the Avengers allies is struggling with the memories of what happened in the alternate reality. He is desperate to lose those memories, he is suff-"

"Send him to me and I'll help him. Send him today."

"Take me to them and I'll bring them to the infirmary now." Jean told Stephen. "Harry could use the distraction and helping people makes him happy. Lorna take him to the infirmary and keep him company."

Stephen nodded and he and Jean vanished in a billow of flame.

Lorna shrugged at Scott before grabbing Harry and they vanished as well.

Emma was steaming in her chair. Scott just sighed. This was far from over.

"Emma, I love you but you are about to make some very big enemies. And I am not talking about Harry. If you throw people out like Danielle, because they lose their powers and become regular homo-sapiens, then all the other people, especially the governments will see you as a bigot."

Emma looked highly insulted.

"That's what they'll see. They'll see a woman who doesn't like to associate with people who don't have the x-gene. It's a very short step from people who don't like to associate with blacks or Jews."

"It would be much safer with those like Danielle gone. Danielle is an amazing counsellor, but it would be safer." Emma tried to explain.

"But why? What is your reasoning? It can't be because she has no powers."

"But there will be fewer people to watch after… fewer people to-" Emma couldn't continue as tears began to pour out of her eyes.

"Fewer people to watch die." Scott finished as he rounded the table and pulled her into a hug.

Few people remembered that when Genosha was attacked, Emma was teaching a class of children. She watched them die and she still suffered. She was in denial for a long time, she even walked out of the rubble with a dead child in her arms, never realising it was too late.

Eventually Emma calmed down enough, Scott sat in her chair with Emma on his lap as he comforted her.

"You should tell Harry the truth." Scott said quietly. "He deserves to have a proper impression of you, not just the stuck up bitch you show to the world, but the loving woman who still mourns over the loss of her students."

Emma was too tired to argue. "I'll think about it."

After a few minutes of companionable silence, Scott asked a question that had been bugging him. "Did something happen to your breasts? They feel different."

Emma just snorted in laughter before laughing outright. She needed that, Scott always knew how to deal with her.

"Harry, this is Peter and Mary Jane Parker. Peter is the hero known as 'Spiderman'." Jean said as he introduced his next patient.

"Nice to meet you. Tell me your problems. Dr. Strange mentioned memories." Harry offered as he conjured some comfortable chairs.

"You know about the recent reality changes?" Peter asked sullenly.

Mary Jane was very worried, she had had to ask Jeeves to keep an eye on Peter as she felt he was suicidal.

"Stephen explained the situation to me, gave me a copy of his memories."

"In the other reality, I had a different wife and a kid. I had an entire lifetime with them and now it is gone. They are dead and I can't get myself to slot back into this reality." Peter's eyes began to shed tears. MJ hugged him tightly, but he flinched.

"Yep, very bad. I'm going to knock you out for this. There is nothing dangerous about what I am going to do, but it will be easier for you to adjust if you are asleep. Your wife can stay right with you." Harry assured him as he led him to one of the beds.

"Thanks Doc, I need this." Peter said sincerely as he choked on a sob.

"I know. I can see it. Just lie back and relax, you'll be awake in a few hours."

Peter stretched languorously as he awoke from his induced slumber. He felt pretty good, he couldn't remember why he was supposed to be asleep, but he didn't care at the moment. He then noticed that there were raised voices around him.

"We are playing by 20th century rules Harry, not whatever comes about in the future!" He recognised that voice, it was Jean Grey. He was sure she was supposed to be dead. Not that she ever stayed that way.

"We should have just played scrabble." That was MJ.

"Ha! Then we'd have to convince him to play English words only and then he'd complain about us using American spellings."

"I just don't get what you Yanks have against the letter 'U'." Now that was Doctor Potter, Harry. His savior… without the 'U', he was a yank and proud of it. If only he could remember why he thought Harry was his savior.

"Try not to think about it too hard Pete, let it come naturally." Apparently Jean was keeping mental tabs on him.

Peter got up and headed over to the game of Poker being played. There were two other women at the table, one looked like Polaris, he didn't know the other one.

"You know Lorna and Danielle?" Jean asked.

"I know of Polaris, but not Danielle." Pete shrugged apologetically.

"Ah, well both ladies were hit by M-Day, Harry turned them both into magicals a bit like him."

"Cool… the more people who can help heal saps like me the better." Peter grinned. Then his face fell. "Wait… I can remember everything… you said you were going to remove the memories."

"Actually, I just said I'd help you. Do you still feel you absolutely need them removed, or would like them removed?"

"I definitely don't feel as bad as I did." He considered.

"The memories weren't the problem. You just couldn't cope with the loss. It was literally driving you insane, that woman you were married to? She was your soul mate. When one half of a bound pair of souls dies, the other usually follows, on rare occasions when they don't, they go insane."

"Harry has power over souls. He connected you to Mary Jane as her soul mate." Jean explained.

"Isn't that as bad as what Wanda did?"

"No, I had both your consents… although yours was sub-conscious. Also, Wanda didn't have the authority to mess with souls, I am probably the most powerful person this side of the afterlife, but I'm guessing there are some pretty pissed off people on the other side."

"There's definitely an afterlife?" Lorna asked.

"So Jean and the other Phoenixes tell me. Of course I'll never go there. All my friends and family are there, but I get left behind." Harry said sadly.

The silence that followed was sad but neither oppressive nor uncomfortable.

Eventually Peter broke it. "How long was I out?"

"About eighteen hours." Harry answered. "Mary Jane said you hadn't slept in a few days so we let you rest."

"EIGHTEEN HOURS!"

"Easy!" Harry winced.

"No one was out there! Who knows who suffered because Spiderman wasn't there?"

"I think we acquitted ourselves pretty damned well, thank you very much." Mary Jane said feeling rather put out.

"Huh?"

"Lorna, MJ and Dani covered the city for you whilst you were resting." Jean smiled.

"You took my wife out to fight criminals?!"

"At her request and my suggestion, I made her a witch."

Peter looked a little confused and disturbed. "I hope that's not a euphemism."

Harry just started banging his head on the table as he Lorna and Dani giggled and Jean patted his back.

"I can do magic Peter. I can defend myself if any of your enemies decide to come after me to get to you." She said pointedly. "Apparently I can also do the dishes with a wave of my hand as well." She shrugged. "I'll believe it when I see it."

Before Peter could question further, they were interrupted by an irate Hank who didn't seem to notice them. "Bloody single-minded… bigoted… zealot… son of Hitler… FUCKWAD!"

All of them blanched. Those that knew Henry 'Hank' McCoy, knew he was a gentle soul and a master wordsmith. For him to be reduced to such crass and low vulgarity meant he must be beyond pissed.

"Hank? What's wrong?" Jean asked worriedly as she hurried over to him.

"What? Jean, I'm sorry my dear, I didn't notice you."

"Come and sit down. Tell us what the problem is." She said guiding him over to the table and conjuring a chair for him.

"That damned fool Stryker was on the television. He was going on about how the loss of our mutant powers was merely the first step in God's plan and it was up to them to finish the job." He removed his glasses and rubbed his eyes in frustration.

"I'd like to see him try. I'll turn him into a duckbilled platypus." Harry scowled.

"Not a toad?" Peter queried.

"Which looks funnier?"

"Ah. Good choice."

"You should turn him into an ape. See how he likes it when he is literally a lower primate." MJ suggested angrily. These people were her friends, they helped her husband when they could.

There was a moment's contemplation.

"Nah… I don't like the idea of him throwing faeces at us." Peter shuddered.

"Gee, thanks for that image." Dani muttered.

"Hey, MJ suggested ape."

"Don't go blaming me for your mind and it's inanity!" MJ warned him.

"Anyway, bigots aside, how are you doing with the memories, Peter?" Harry asked.

"Fine… I guess. Give me a few days to see how it goes. I still feel sad."

"Because you haven't mourned them. You lived an entire lifetime with them. You loved them. You do not mess with love, it's one of the big three. Death, time and love. My dad always said death, time and his Twinkies, but I changed it."

"Wise words." Hank intoned thoughtfully. "Not quite sure about the Twinkies."

"Neither was he when his wives heard my version." Harry smirked. "And he had messed around with all three."

"Anyway," Harry continued. "You had a whole life with them, that is not something to throw away lightly. You were a good husband and father, a man I am proud to know. You have memories, that once you have mourned them, will bring you joy and the experience will help you later in life."

"And you're cool with this?" Peter asked his wife.

"Absolutely. Harry has even offered to help you share the memories with me." She said as she stood and hugged him. She was just happy he was safe now and no longer suffering.

Harry held out his hands and began to conjure; a framed photo appeared in his hands. "Something physical that you can both share so you don't have to doubt either reality."

Peter shakily took the photo as a tear ran down his cheek. There in the picture was a family photo of his lost family. Straight from the home of his lost life.

"They're so beautiful." Mary Jane said wistfully.

"Just like you." Peter said as he buried his nose in Mary Jane's hair and holding her tighter.

"Take him home MJ, he could use some rest. Bring him back if he needs it, even if it's just to visit." Harry ordered.

"I'll cover New York for the week." Dani offered.

"Yeah, I can stick around, I have a few days." Lorna added.

"Really?" Harry asked.

"Yeah, I know a few places close to my destination I can teleport too." Lorna explained. "It will cut days off the journey."

"Actually, if you, me and Dani sit with a map, we might be able to get you even closer." Jean offered.

"I'm game. Anything to use more magic to help." Dani bounced in her chair.

"Well, we'll leave you to it." Mary Jane crossed over to Harry and hugged him tightly. "Thank you for saving him."

"It's what I do, why I exist." He told her with a smile.

"Seriously Doc, thanks, you need me, just call." Peter said offering his hand.

"Likewise. Now, go and rest."

Harry was exhausted. He had been up and working since he arrived in this universe. He didn't need to sleep, but he did need to rest at times, he was still human and being over worked affected him just as badly as anyone else.

He headed up to just sit and relax in the sitting room, maybe watch the TV and catch up on current events. He realised that he needed a room of his own in this place, he'd crash with Jean for now.

Unfortunately, Harry's plans for decompressing were derailed when he came across an argument erupting between two of the teenagers. Apparently one of them was either a burgeoning bigot or an egotistical idiot.

"I know it's hard to tell with you, but last time I checked, 'you' just became a part of 'them'." Julian Keller stated.

Sounded like he had delusions of grandeur as well. The makings of a Dark Lord if ever he met one.

"What the hell is your problem Keller?!" The blue haired Nori Ashida demanded.

"Nori, it's ok…" David Alleyne was definitely trying to keep the peace.

"No, it's not!" She said angrily her gauntlets sparking dangerously.

Harry had to agree, but he was curious as to whether Julian would listen to his peers before he needed to knock him down a notch.

"It's ok, because David knows that when we're all up against the wall, he'll be free and clear.

"Did he tell you about his little phone call to Harvard?"

Nori was clearly shocked and hurt. "What?"

"Nori, I-"

"It's better this way, Ashida. He doesn't belong here or with you… anymore."

"And why is that Julian?" Apparently Harry wasn't the only one eavesdropping, not that it was a private conversation, it was clearly very public.

"Please tell me. Why is it 'better', Julian?" Because David is human now?" Sofia demanded. "Are humans not worthy of being loved in your eyes?"

Harry fought back a chuckle as Julian suddenly realised that this actually affected him and that he had just put his foot in his mouth.

"Sofia… it's not like that."

"You used to call me 'Beautiful'. Am I less so now?" The poor girl was clearly hurt. Persecuted by regular humans for being a mutant and now persecuted by mutants for being a human. She couldn't win.

"I –"

But Sofia couldn't listen to Julian's stupidity.

"Just stop, Julian. You're making fools of us both." She said as she headed for the door.

Her exit was impeded by the black haired man with the lightning bolt scar.

"The only fool in this room is Julian and anyone who thinks like him." Harry told her, though he spoke loud enough for them all to hear. "Everyone take a seat and turn off the TV."

"Aw man." Santo complained, he'd just got the remote back and switched back to the wrestling.

"Sit down Julian." Harry ordered.

"We don't have to listen to you." Julian sneered. "You aren't even a counsellor here."

"But I am the Headmistress. You can consider Dr. Potter a professor." Emma stated as she stood in the doorway, silhouetted by the light from the hall outside.

Julian groused as he took a seat by the table, alone and obviously unhappy and recalcitrant.

"Let's deal with Julian's opinions first." Harry began. "Mutants used to number what, millions?" He enquired of Emma.

"Before the holocaust of Genosha, 30 million." She said emotionlessly.

"That's 30 million compared to 6 billion and rising humans. How many were lost at Genosha?"

"Half, at best estimate."

"Half the mutant population was wiped out, how long did that take?"

"Seconds, a huge explosion caused by someone attacking with a giant Sentinel."

"My understanding is that humans made Sentinels. How long do you think it would take for them to wipe the rest of those mutants out? From what Hank has told me, out of the remaining 15 million mutants since Genosha, all but 198 were depowered when a single mutant suffered a major incident and accidentally wiped out their powers.

"Do you honestly think you could stand up to the combined might of 6 billion individuals?"

"Are they really going to try and kill us?" The golden skinned Josh asked nervously.

"Some will. The average human either doesn't like hurting people or doesn't care about them one way or another. That's not necessarily a bad thing, just a selfish thing.

"Evil always shouts the loudest.

"People with evil intent tend to be the most outspoken, they perform acts that garner the most attention. But they usually only appeal to one particular facet of humanity… in this case, non-mutants."

Harry sighed and turned to Julian. "You were pretty outspoken in your accusation against David. Name one person in this room who agrees with you."

Julian had a definite 'deer caught in the headlights' look. He nervously looked around, Santo? No, Santo didn't care one way or another. Cessily? She made it clear she didn't agree.

Then he smirked. "Miss Frost."

"Have I truly failed to teach you anything that you really believe I am a bigot?" Emma asked sadly.

Julian's face fell, he felt betrayed.

"I believe we should look out for ourselves, that we should be ruthless in defending ourselves. But I don't have anything against non-mutants, I am good friends with various members of the Avengers and have nothing but the utmost respect for their non-super powered relatives. That is to say nothing of Jeeves and his superb tea." She smiled wistfully, she really should pay a visit to the Avengers again.

"Let me bottom line this for you, Julian." Harry said seriously. "You and your opinions are alone in this room. I doubt you will find many supporters in the other rooms. Evil is always the minority, it has to be the minority because it seeks to rule and oppress, it can't do that if it is surrounded by equals.

"You need to ask yourself a few questions. One: Are you evil? Remember that evil is a choice, just like good. Two: Do you consider yourselves better than regular humans because they don't have powers? If you do, remember that I am possibly the single most powerful being in the universe, and I say evil is wrong. Jean is the only one who comes close to second on this planet."

Emma decided to add Scott's advice to her to Harry's words. "If regular humans find out you think them inferior, they will think you are a threat and they won't hesitate to put you down."

Harry decided to end the lecture. "It's late and you have all had a hard time. I want you to head to bed and think about what was said here tonight."

"Nice speech, Harry." Came Logan's gravelly drawl. Harry turned and frowned, Logan was standing in the doorway with a young lady. Something was wrong with her from what he could see.

"This is Laura, my sister. She's a genetic clone created from my DNA and… you know what? It doesn't matter. The bottom line is, she has my claws and, yes, she could kill you if she wanted. So don't make her want to.

"Consider yourselves introduced."

Logan turned to walk away but was stopped by Harry.

"A clone! Dammit, that makes so much sense now. Logan go with Laura to the infirmary and wait for me. Emma, get the triplets and join us there." Harry vanished on the spot.

"Huh, maybe Mister 'equality-for-all' has his own prejudices." Julian sneered.

"Shut up Julian." Cessily snapped.

*Chapter 3*: Chapter 3  
Chapter 3

"Harry, is it wise to alienate Mr. Keller so? I fear he may break from us and leave. He has a lot of potential and will be very powerful." Emma pointed out worriedly as she and the Stepford Cuckoos approached Logan, Laura and Harry in the Infirmary half an hour later.

"Oh, I know he will. In fact, he has already left the building and tried to get some of his friends to leave with him." Harry chuckled, he had asked Lorna and Dani to keep an eye on him but not interfere.

"Shouldn't we be out there looking for him?" Emma asked, angry at Harry's seeming lack of care.

"Nah, I alerted Dr. Cooper she and her people are going to pick him up and leave him in the new sanctuary tonight. I'll deal with him tomorrow when I pay a medical visit there with Hank."

"What's the deal, kid." Logan grunted. "You ruined a perfectly good exit back there."

"I'll make it up to you, but this was far too important.

"Back in my world, they tried cloning. The problem is that cloning does not create a true soul. I had to kill off the clones as they were abominations. This universe is closer but not close enough. You four are clones." He said indicating the four teenage girls.

Harry pointed at Laura. "You have a badly formed soul, you will never have a full life as you are.

"You three," He pointed to the triplets, "only have one soul between you, and it is badly damaged as you had a soul mate and it was ripped away."

"We were once five, now we are three." They intoned emotionlessly.

"Yeah, I can't do anything about the shared soul, but I can help the four of you.

"You need a companion soul to compensate for your damaged ones. You might call them soul mates. I recommend Emma for yours and Logan for yours." He told the triplets and Laura respectively.

"Ain't this a romantic thing?" Logan asked a little disgusted.

"No, it's a love thing. It will bolster any love and caring you have for each other. If the love is familial then you will have that love bolstered."

"So… she really will be my sister? In my mind."

"You'll come to care for her as such, my first soul mate was my adopted sister."

"We want someone else as our soul mate." The triplets declared.

"Emma's a good choice. She already loves you and I know you love her."

"We do not trust her. She helped cause us to become Three."

Emma looked severely ashamed and depressed.

"Was it intentional?" Harry asked the girls.

They shared a look. "We do not believe so."

"Then that is all the more reason to choose her. There is no immediate rush. You survived this long and you can survive the rest of your lives like this, but you will not have fulfilling lives."

"Are there any bad side effects?" Logan asked.

"No, if you die they will need a new anchor, but I can handle that easily enough."

"If the kid wants it I'll do it, but she can think about it for a few days first." Logan said decisively.

"I will always be ready to help my girls." Emma said firmly.

"Not yours. Not anymore."

"Not for now." Harry rebuked the girls lightly. "But always in her heart."

The next morning Harry told Sophia to go and hang out with Dani and tell her he sent her. He then grabbed Hank and Emma and they headed off to the sanctuary, which was a few miles down the road.

"I'm sorry sir. I have strict instructions to specifically deny you entry." The guard on duty stated.

There was a huge concrete wall surrounding the camp with four Sentinels posted on guard. Not to mention the various military personnel. The O*N*E worked fast.

"Well, you can try and stop me, but don't hurt any bystanders or I won't be pleased." Harry warned as he proceeded to walk through the man.

"Do we fire?" Another soldier asked.

"At what?" The guard asked incredulously.

Emma and Hank followed Harry as he headed in a specific direction.

"How do you know where you are going?" Hank asked.

"I'm following Julian's scent. It took me a few years, but I can now access my heightened dragon senses in human form."

"Can all magicals become animals?"

"Yes, but it takes hard work and a potion and only certain individuals can become dragons." Harry stopped outside a tent. "Knock Knock!" He called before marching in.

"Mr. Keller, I thought you were stronger than this. Running away when someone confronts you on your beliefs." Emma admonished.

"Bastard called me evil. I don't have to stand for that." Julian snapped.

"That's 'Doctor Potter', and mind your language."

"I never called you evil, I simply pointed out you were heading that way." Harry reasoned. "If you do become evil, you'll likely never hear me call you it as I'll just kill you."

Julian paled at that, he didn't think the man was boasting or making idle threats.

"Now, for today, you are going to play our assistant as Doctor McCoy and I see to the medical needs of the residents here as needed. When you get back, the Headmistress will assign you whatever punishments she deems fit." Harry informed him.

"What if I don't want to go back?" He said sullenly.

"You are a minor. You don't have a choice, we have a responsibility to you until you come of age, we will not allow ourselves to be found lacking in fulfilling that responsibility." Hank said sternly.

Julian was shepherded out between Hank and Harry as Emma headed to speak with Val Cooper.

There were very few injuries, there were two rather distressing cases. The first was Lorelei Travis who had apparently had her hair viciously sliced off because it was prehensile. She had been healed by a man known as Mr. M. Harry was happy to leave her in Mr. M's hands as he seemed a gentle soul and Lorelei was quite taken with him.

But far worse was Amara Aquilla. She had been driven insane by the loss of her boyfriend and the man who was mentally calming her had once mind raped her. Hank was not pleased and intended to have harsh words with Scott and Emma about who they sent out for various missions.

"You have had a very hard life." Harry said as he caressed her hands, he lifted them so she could see.

"You healed them!" She gasped as she saw the scars from when she was crucified were gone as was the residual ache.

"When your memory is already scarred, you don't need the physical ones. If you decide you want me to help you with those memories come and see me. I understand from Hank that you are likely to be very distrusting of those who practice the mind arts."

Amara flinched but controlled herself.

"Don't worry, I am a Healer and Doctor, I took oaths about that sort of thing.

"Now, you have a much bigger problem. The man you just lost, he was your soul mate. That's what drove you insane, you will continue to suffer unless we do something about it."

"I could always just die." She said sullenly.

"Or you could lean on a friend." Harry said pointedly. "Is there anyone you would trust with your life, a friend, sibling, parent? Preferably not someone you have a romantic connection with, more familial."

Amara shrugged.

"Miss Moonstar is currently at the institute." Hank offered.

"I trust Dani." She shrugged again.

Harry put out a mental call to Dani, she appeared seconds later.

"Amara! You're here!" She gasped happily as she went to hug her friend. She pulled back when she saw the state she was in. "Amara, what happened?"

"She lost her soul mate, Dani." Harry said quietly.

Having been there to witness Harry deal with Peter Parker, she knew just how bad that was, she also knew there was a solution.

"I'll do it." She said defiantly.

Harry smiled, he was very proud of her, she had deduced what he needed of her, what her friend needed of her and she had jumped at the chance. She was the perfect choice for the second magical he had created in this world.

"Do what?" Hank asked for both himself and Amara.

"The human soul is not meant to be cut into and mutilated. That is what happens when a soul mate dies. A piece of the survivor's soul is ripped away as the one who dies crosses over. That wound will remain open and eat at you unless a connection is re-established, which I can do."

"And you want to do this between Miss Aquilla and Miss Moonstar?"

"If they are both willing. Dani's reaction makes me believe she is definitely a good choice." Harry nodded. "What do you say Amara, this won't replace the one you lost, it just makes sure you aren't suffering unnecessarily."

"Can I think about it?"

"Absolutely. Dani, take her back and get her settled, both of you discuss it some more." Harry ordered.

Hank and Harry made their way to find Emma with a sullen Julian in tow. They found her having a heated discussion in the O*N*E command centre with Val Cooper.

"What has you so angry, Emma?" Hank asked.

"They want to implant mutants with tags." She said bluntly.

"Really, Dr. Cooper? I thought you were better than this." Harry said disappointedly.

"It's not my decision. It's coming from way over my head." Val explained.

"Send your superiors a message from me: You first."

"They will just use that as a threat against them and they will use it as justification to actually do it."

"That's fine, but tell them that if they continue to treat us as animals, I will turn them into animals." Harry smiled. "And I may not turn them back."

"I'll pass on your message, but I doubt it will do any good." She sighed.

"I will be speaking with Dr. Strange about this. If the government is willing to attempt this on a sub-species of humanity, how long will it be before they turn to the rest of the people? I am sure the press will be interested in hearing about this."

Val and the other O*N*E personnel in the command van were stunned as Dr. Potter, Emma Frost, Hank McCoy and Julian Keller just vanished.

"Get General Lazer on the line." She ordered when the shock had passed.

"So, humans and mutants as equals?" Keller asked smugly once the shock of being teleported straight to Emma's office wore off.

"Do you know why your government isn't acting in favour of mutants?" Harry asked as he conjured a large extra chair for Hank. "Because those that hate mutants are the loudest, they are demanding the government do these things and when they don't the anti-mutant group goes on TV and starts claiming that the government doesn't listen and doesn't care about humans.

"Governments hate bad publicity and they try so hard to please everyone that they end up pleasing no one and hurting nearly everyone."

"Then what's the point of having a government?" Julian demanded angrily. It sounded like Dr. Potter was making his point.

"Governments provide boundaries. They ensure that the laws are enforced. If there were no laws, then Miss Ashida could have killed you last night and gotten away with it. And she was ready to do so."

"Like she could." He scoffed quietly.

"She could, she was enraged. I've told people several times that our emotions affect our powers. Rage has a tendency to amplify them, unfortunately it can also overload them and make us more vulnerable."

"I believe Mr. Keller has learnt all he can for today." Emma interrupted. "We need to decide his punishment."

"What were you thinking and how long?"

"A month, with one week restricted to his room, meals and classes, and then restricted to the Institute for the rest of the time."

"Perhaps we should assign him to the infirmary to assist Dr. Potter and myself for that month, after his week of severe restrictions of course." Hank offered.

"Yes, perhaps he will learn something." Emma smirked. Having Mr. Keller cleaning up various bodily substances would be most useful.

"Ok, but I am adding an additional punishment." Harry said as he placed a glowing hand on Julian's arm.

Julian tried to move away but Harry held firm. When the glowing stopped, Harry released him and sat back.

"I have just turned off your powers. I will turn them back on when your month's punishment is up. You need to understand that your powers are a gift to be cherished, not abused and lorded over others."

Hank and Emma were shocked but held their tongues.

"YOU WHAT!" Julian leapt to his feet trying to access his powers. But nothing happened. "What the fuck am I supposed to do if I get attacked?"

"Language Mr. Keller." Emma snapped.

"I suppose you can either defend yourself as a human or rely on someone with powers to protect you." Harry smiled. "Of course, why a powerful mutant would want to help a lowly human is beyond me." He said with that same smile. "Go on, off to your room, you will be called for meals." Harry teleported him outside the door.

They winced as they heard an inarticulate scream of rage.

"I've just asked Logan to ensure he goes to his room." Emma told them as they heard stomping footsteps get slightly quieter.

"Was it really necessary to remove his powers?" Hank asked. "He was right, the institute is often attacked and we have had many injuries and far too many fatalities."

"First of all, if the school is attacked, the students should not be fighting. I was not pleased when I saw them fighting the Sentinels the other day. They need to be evacuated into the sub levels. We as their guardians should be fighting and protecting.

"Secondly, there are a number of things I can do to protect the Institute. As soon as I get the chance I will implement them. For now we will need to rely on the O*N*E as the first line of defence."

"Those are sound ideas, but they rarely work out the way you want them."

"Hank, I can quite literally remove the Institute from this phase, no one on the planet will know where it is unless we tell them and even if they know the general location they won't be able to touch it, just like when I walked through the guards today."

It was hard to argue with protections like that.

*Chapter 4*: Chapter 4  
Chapter 4

That evening Harry had Emma, Lorna and Dani round up all the females and bring them down to the infirmary. He had Scott and Logan guard the door in case there were any nosy parkers about. Hank was the only other male present.

"Ladies, I remembered earlier today that I am no longer the only male in existence and Jean is no longer the only female." Harry addressed the assembled double-x brigade.

"I want to tell you a story, about my adopted sister, Luna. We first met when she was 11 and I was 12. I found her locked in a room in the castle where our school was, naked, surrounded by three much older boys and about to be raped."

Harry's blunt story was met with gasps of horror.

"Fortunately I arrived in time and rescued her.

"The event affected me more than her. She was highly resilient and was loved by all of us. But, always in the back of my mind was 'what if next time I can't get there in time?'

"So, I eventually developed the ultimate defence. I found a charm that actually hides a secret within a person and can actually remove an object out of phase with our universe.

"The charm I created is called the Lily Charm, named after my birth mother who died to save me when I was a baby. The male version is called the Stag Charm after my birth father who died trying to save both of us. The Lily Charm does not remove your female genitalia from our phase."

Harry's use of clinical terms caused a few of the girls to giggle, titter and blush. Sometimes all three. Harry just smiled indulgently.

"This charm will remove the knowledge of the location of your female parts. Anyone who doesn't know your secret will know you have those parts, but will not be able to remember where they are supposed to be on your body.

"Try not to think too hard about this as this is magic and it takes a whole lot of learning to actually grasp what is happening when magic works."

"That is amazing!" Hank said in awe.

"The peace of mind it gives a person to know they can not be violated that way is often huge. I believe it is also more prudent considering the current situation. The people campaigning against mutant-kind are animals, they have no morals, despite what they claim.

"Any questions?"

"Will we have to be naked?" Laurie asked nervously.

"No, I can perform the charm without seeing what I am doing, but you will need to… expose yourself to someone just to make sure it is working. But you can choose anyone you want, male or female, just remember that that person needs to be told your secret, you can revoke the permission later.

"Jean has offered to be our model for today so I can give you a demonstration. I would also appreciate a couple of volunteers as I want Dani and Lorna to learn how to do this so other females won't have to have a man doing it."

"I don't mind Lorna experimenting on me, as long as it's private." Dani offered.

"Likewise." Lorna offered, though she was slightly more timid. "Shouldn't MJ learn this too?"

"That's a good point. Would you go get her?" Harry asked.

As Lorna vanished, amazing the younger ones, Amara spoke up. "I'll help Dani, she wants to help me, and it's the least I can do." It was clear she was still hurting, but hopefully she was closer to making a decision.

"The 'least' you can do is accept my help, but thank you." Dani said as she gave her friend a hug.

"Any other questions?" Harry asked as MJ and Lorna reappeared.

"Will it hurt and will we need to do anything when we… urinate, also, what about sex?" Emma asked, she realised that there were questions the girls needed answered but would be to embarrassed to ask. She had no such qualms.

"Nope, no pain and no special measures needed for your day to day life. This charm also protects your bottom, your anus. You will need to reveal your secret to your doctor, in this case, Dr. McCoy and Dr. Grey." Harry indicated the red head and blue… head.

"As for sex. When you meet the person you love and you want to move to a more physical level you can reveal your secret to them. But you have to be very blunt and clinical, so say something like: 'My vagina is between my legs.'"

This caused a burst of embarrassed laughter.

"I know, hardly a romantic phrase, but it is much better than the alternatives." He said seriously.

"We aren't going to do this tonight. I just want you to know about it, we will hopefully begin tomorrow night, for now, would any volunteers who are willing to help me teach MJ, Lorna and Dani please stay behind, the rest of you head off and enjoy your evening."

When they had left, there were several volunteers remaining including Emma, Sofia and Amara. There was one woman who stayed behind but seemed unsure.

"Shan! You don't need to do this." Dani said as she approached the young Asian woman.

"I want to… I… I…"

"You were raped." Harry stated quietly. He walked over to her slowly and waved a hand. "Check your left hip."

Shan's eyes widened as she lifted the hem of her sweater and carefully pulled down the hem of her skirt. Embedded in her skin was a white lily. She looked up at Harry with wide eyes.

"Never again." Harry stated quietly. "Dani, take her behind a curtain and help her see if it worked."

As Dani gently manoeuvred Shan away Harry sat down on one of the other beds.

"You ok Harry?" Lorna asked worriedly.

"An example of me being too late." Harry sighed. "OW!"

Harry rubbed the back of his head as Jean glared at him.

"You can not save everyone!" She admonished. "And I thought Nev was exaggerating."

"Nev?" MJ asked.

"One of Harry's adopted brothers. A fellow Phoenix who grew up with Harry and Fawkes. Harry has issues, he believes he has to save everyone, it's impossible as some people don't want saving." Jean said in annoyance. "Times like this I wish I had Neville or Fawkes as backup to deal with Harry."

"God I miss them. I wish Nev or Fawkes were here too." Harry sighed sadly.

"Ask and you shall receive!" Jean declared happily as a flash of flame appeared and a beautiful gold and red plumed bird landed on her shoulder.

"Fawkes!" Harry cried happily.

To the horror of the assembled females, Harry leapt up and grabbed the bird by the wings and began swinging it around like a ballroom dancer.

"HARRY!" MJ screamed.

Harry stopped cold. "Yes?" He asked nervously.

"Aren't you hurting him?" MJ asked worriedly.

"Ha! This old geezer? It would be more likely for him to hurt me!" Harry scoffed.

At this the bird lit on fire causing Harry to yelp and shake his hands.

"DAMMIT FAWKES!" Harry yelled.

"He says: 'That's what you get for calling me an old geezer.'" Jean told him.

"Well he is older than me!"

In response Fawkes landed on Harry's shoulder and cuffed him with a wing.

"I missed you. Any chance of Neville coming along?" Harry smiled as he stroked the bird's head.

"No, the only reason Fawkes could come is because he is a Companion Phoenix and you called him. Although, wishing is pretty much pushing it." Jean explained.

"Does that mean you are something else?" Emma asked curiously.

"I am a Guardian Phoenix. Like Harry's friend Neville. Guardians take a more active role on a greater scale, we actively combat evil. Companions like Fawkes, they provide comfort and support to an individual."

"Fawkes was my adopted dad's companion for nearly three thousand years."

"It worked!" Came Dani's excited voice as she and Shan emerged from the curtain.

Shan came up and grabbed his hands in hers tightly. "Thank you, thank you so much." She said sincerely. "I know it is a lot to ask, but could you do the same for my sisters?" She asked seemingly ashamed.

"I'll gladly do it for your brothers too." Harry told her as he looked her straight in the eye.

"Why for boys?" Dani asked curiously.

"Males can easily be raped, what do you think paedophiles do to the boys they abuse?" He asked with a dark look.

"Will you be offering this to the boys here as well?" Hank asked.

"Yes, but we might want to do it on an individual basis. I found that boys are far more reluctant than girls to speak about their genitals, unless they are bragging… which they usually are.

"Anyway, let's get this lesson started and move onto happier things." Harry declared as he gave Shan's hand a squeeze.

The following day was quiet, Hank, Scott and Harry started discreetly calling the boys in one by one. There weren't many refusals, but there were requests for other body parts to be hidden, especially those that had extra appendages or didn't look fully human.

Harry promised them he was working on it and hoped to have a solution soon.

At the Sanctuary, Emma was struggling to keep the peace. It seemed that Val was being ignored and the tags would be going ahead. It was being called 'voluntary'. But you couldn't leave the compound without one.

In the end she gave up and called for Harry, Scott and Hank.

"Alright, this is disgusting." Harry spat.

"Agreed." Hank stated stiffly.

"Hank, make the call." Harry ordered.

Hank moved away and activated his communicator, meanwhile Harry just stared at Val and Colonel Reyes emotionlessly and unblinkingly.

"We have our orders, sir." Colonel Reyes stated stiffly.

"Orders can change." Harry retorted.

"He's on his way." Hank said as he rejoined them.

A few seconds later the guards snapped their weapons up as a shaft of light appeared seven feet in the air and shot into the ground, starting from the top the light spread out in an arch, a second later several people emerged, most recognisable was Captain America and TV news reporter Trish Tilby.

What was not so good for Colonel Reyes was the cameraman who followed along with a high-ranking General.

"Colonel, I have just heard a disturbing report from Captain America and Dr Strange that the US Army is party to experimentation on American citizens. I'm hoping I am seriously miss-informed." The General snarled angrily. The military did not need this kind of bad publicity, he was extremely pissed as Dr. Strange had insisted on bringing Tilby and her shutterbug cameraman.

"Sir! No Sir!" Reyes said snapping to attention. "No experiments are being performed at this location, Sir!"

"So you weren't going to try and implant experimental equipment into the people seeking sanctuary here for the purposes of control and tracking? Equipment that was deemed too unethical to use on convicted criminals?" Emma snapped.

"Well Colonel?" The General prompted.

"Sir! Our current orders are to offer the tags to anyone wishing to leave the compound, sir!"

"And those that don't want the tags and still want to leave?" Harry asked.

"Colonel?"

"Sir! No Tag, No Exit. Those are our current orders, Sir."

"That sounds suspiciously like compulsory volunteering to me." Harry shrugged.

"Interesting turn of phrase, Dr. Potter, but accurate." The General growled. This was all being caught on camera. This was not what he fought for when he was a grunt. "Who gave you these orders, Colonel?"

"Sir, General Lazer, Sir."

"Lazer." The General muttered with an eye roll. "General, these are your orders, they will not be overridden except by my voice to your ear. You will guard these walls and all within them. You will keep them safe and well. Should a crime be committed within these walls you will hand the perpetrator to the appropriate authorities through The Xavier Institute and Doctor Potter.

"The inhabitants of this compound are free to leave when they wish how they wish. However! Should an inhabitant leave this compound and he or she has committed a crime, they will be arrested and handed over to the appropriate authorities through the O*N*E."

"General, we granted immunity to all inhabitants." Scott objected.

"Yes, Mr. Summers. You did. Not the US Government. You should be grateful we aren't hauling you in, you are harbouring fugitives and criminals. What's worse is you are keeping them with vulnerable innocents. If this isn't a case of loosing wolves among the sheep…" He trailed off leadingly.

"But they are at risk out there."

"They are humans first, criminals second, mutants third. They are not above the law, not with some of the crimes they have committed."

"I agree with the General, Scott." Harry said quietly. "I didn't realise the situation was so bad. It will be rectified before the day is out."

"Harry!"

"You gave your word Scott, and I won't break it. But I will be segregating the criminals from the innocents. It is completely unacceptable, especially as Lorelei, Peepers and Leech are in there. Lorelei has been through enough, she is well protected by Absolom but she deserves better than to be looking over her shoulder."

"They're right, Cyclops. Your intentions were noble, but your execution is fatally flawed." Captain America added.

"Could you at least offer 24 hour amnesty so they can leave if they wish without making me into a liar and traitor?" Scott begged. If this happened his reputation would be ruined, mutants would never trust him again, neither would any sentient being.

"The most I could offer is 12 hours." The General stated firmly. "Take it or leave it."

"General, sir, with respect, there are murderers and rapists in there." Colonel Reyes objected.

The General raised an eyebrow at the Colonel's sudden change in demeanour, but decided to let it pass.

"There isn't much we can do about it. Despite what the press believes of the government, the X-Men are respected as experts in handling mutant affairs. Mr. Summer's would be rendered useless if his guarantee of amnesty was disregarded."

"Give me the files on the criminals. And I will interview them as you release them. Any who are guilty on of non-violent crimes I will give a warning, any guilty of something more I can either deliver to the authorities or deal with them myself after 12 hours." Harry offered.

"And by 'deal with', you mean?" Captain America queried.

"Kill them." Harry said bluntly.

"You can't just go around killing people." Scott objected.

"Yes, I can. I am Death, this is my responsibility." Harry retorted.

"He speaks the truth." Dr. Strange said solemnly. "It is his duty and his right."

"I'm sorry, but what do you mean when you say you are 'Death'?" The formerly silent observer, Trish Tilby, asked.

"Oops, I forgot you were there." Harry grinned sheepishly. "Find me later and I'll give you a full interview."

Captain America grimaced at Harry's bald-faced offer. His personal experience with the press was not good. He dreaded what the Daily Bugle would do when they got their hands on the story. It was hard enough trying to get J. J. Jameson on board with the new Avengers and to lay off Spiderman.

Trish nodded with a frown and stepped back. She would definitely get the interview, even if she had to beg her ex-boyfriend Hank.

"The United States Government would prefer you hand them over for trial and justice." The General said carefully. Dr. Strange had given him a breakdown of what Dr. Potter was capable of, it was hard to believe, but he knew better than to start a conflict with such a powerful being.

"Fine, but if they escape, they are mine." Harry warned. "Scott, take Dr. Cooper and tell the people in there what the deal is. I'm heading back to the institute."

The next few days fell into an easy routine. All the women in the institute and the sanctuary were given the Lily Charm. They slowly worked their way through the males at the institute.

Harry was surprised that very few took up the offer to leave the Sanctuary, those that did where usually guilty of minor crimes, often just as a means to survive. Harry advised those individuals to remain at the Sanctuary whilst he tried to arrange something with the government.

Some of the major criminals seemed to be of two minds, highly indecisive. They would approach the tent where Harry held interviews only to turn around. Although he did notice an unusual energy surrounding them. He was unfamiliar with it but didn't think it was worrisome for the time being as both Val and Scott had the same energy. He dismissed it as a quirk of the inhabitants of this universe although is was more focused on one individual.

Harry returned each day to offer the chance for them to leave. In the meantime he had created a wall of steel, which partitioned the sanctuary. Two thirds for the innocent and a third for the criminals.

By the third day Harry, Scott, and Emma were called in for an emergency. A mutant called Jazz had been murdered, he was a low level drug dealer. He was found in the bathroom, strangled.

"There appears to be literally no evidence." Val explained, she was highly irritated. "Even the security cameras show he went in alone and no one was in there before him. No one here is a teleporter or invisible or can phase."

"There is a foreign energy around his neck. It was definitely murder." Harry mused as he knelt by the body. "I've seen it before. Johnny Dee has this same energy in his chest."

Harry teleported them all across the barrier to the non-criminal side. They headed to the tent assigned to Johnny Dee.

"Hey Dr. Potter, have you figured out how to make me human yet?" The young green skinned boy named Leech called out as they walked.

Harry stopped and approached him, kneeling down to speak to him. "You really want to be like all the other humans?"

"I want to play with other children."

"You are always welcome at the Institute Leech." Scott said sadly. He remembered when Leech and his friend Artie stayed with the X-Men for a while, they were a definite ray of sunshine.

"But they still look at me funny."

"They look at me funny too. And you should see how they look at Emma!" Scott said with a straight face, this earned him a glare from the blonde section.

"If it's what you want, it's what you'll get." Harry promised him.

Val looked on sadly as she watched Harry place a hand on Leech's head causing the young boy to glow. It was a sad story that reminded her of Guido's childhood story, she would have to catch up with Jamie and the X-Factor gang at some point. If the world ever decided to slow down and avoid a crisis.

After a few seconds a young black haired boy with green eyes stood before them.

"Harry… is there a reason he looks like you?" Scott asked warily.

"Yes Scott. You see when his mummy and daddy made him they each put a bit of themselves in, mummy pu-"

"It's his own genetics, thank you Harry." Scott interrupted hastily. The last thing he needed was Leech being reminded of when he had to give Leech and Artie 'The Talk'.

Fortunately the newly human Leech just giggled.

Suddenly there was a flash of fire and Jean was standing there.

"Jean!"

Jean Grey suddenly found herself with a new appendage as Leech threw his arms around her waist.

"Jean, you remember Leech?" Scott prompted.

"Leech!" She cried back and started to return the hug. "You look so different."

"Harry fixed me!"

"I changed you Leech, there was nothing to fix, I just changed you." Harry corrected.

"Sabertooth won't be able to hurt Mr. Logan because of me again though, right?"

"Erm…" Harry looked to the others for help, he didn't know what Leech was referring to.

"It was never because of you Leech. And Harry has removed your powers." Jean assured him.

"Well… I replaced them. Jean, take him to Dani and tell her she's got another one." Harry requested.

"Sure, come on Leech, you'll love Dani, she's a real live Indian!" Jean enthused as they flamed out.

"Huh… does she ever play cow-"

"No!" Came the chorus of replies from Emma, Scott and Val.

"Right, note to self: Avoid cowboys around Dani." Harry muttered as he began walking again.

Eventually they arrived, but Harry didn't wait he just strode in.

"Johnny Dee, you are guilty of murder and mind control. I am sentencing you to death and annihilation." Harry stated without pause before his hand snapped out and a bolt of green light shot from his hand, Johnny Dee fell to the ground lifeless as the others stood there in shock.

Harry stepped forward and his hand snapped out again, only this time he appeared to grab something. Slowly a misty shape appeared, as it developed it was clear to see it was Johnny Dee.

"Complete annihilation." Harry growled.

The misty image of Johnny Dee appeared to scream, but there was no sound. Piece by piece the image dissolved until he was completely gone.

"What. The. Hell. Did. You. Do!" Val hissed.

"I executed a murderer and worse." Harry responded as he dusted his hands. "That's my job, my duty and my right."

"What about a trial? Due process? Didn't you have any of these things in your world?" She spat.

"Yes, but they only applied to people who weren't guilty of capital crimes and abuse." Harry shrugged. "I suppose I could have waited. Turned him over to you for trial." Harry considered as he reached down and retrieved a briefcase from under the bed. "But then you would have released him… simply because he wanted you too."

"I do not pander to criminals." Val argued heatedly.

Harry smiled as he retrieved a strange egg from the case and pried it open along the middle. "You do when they have complete control over you." He said as he held up the egg showing it's occupant. A naked figurine of Valerie Cooper.

"My god!" She gasped.

"I noticed several mutants and individuals had a certain energy around them. But I thought it might be a natural quirk of this universe. Then I met Jonny Dee and I saw the energy was localised and focused on his chest. When I saw Jazz's dead body it was localised around his neck, the cause of death, so I knew for sure what was going on."

"Who else did he have in there?" Scott demanded as he strode forward and spun the case towards him. "Magma, Emma, Me, Colonel Reyes, plenty of the more powerful and dangerous mutants, several guards, I think… Leech." Scott spun around to face Harry. "That's why you decided to make him human." He said with a hint of accusation.

Harry smiled softly. "Whenever I saw Leech, he reminded me of elves or goblins from back home. He was just a child looking to enjoy life, I forgot that in this world his power makes him a commodity to be acquired… at any cost."

"But you made him a magical." Emma pointed out.

"You've seen Dani and Lorna vanish and re-appear, there are ways to shield against it, but I am the only one who can remove his powers." Harry explained. "I made sure that his new powers will let him defend himself."

Val sat down in a nearby chair.

"Val, you ok?" Scott asked.

"What the hell am I supposed to do about this?" She asked hopelessly. "I just witnessed one man kill another man in cold blood. And I literally can't physically touch him or hold him accountable.

"Dr. Strange has point blank stated that not only do we have no ethical right to challenge his decisions, but that we shouldn't in case we anger him."

It was a little weird to have them talking about Harry as if he wasn't there, but weirdness was hardly the biggest issue of the day.

"You think this same problem didn't happen back home?" Harry asked her as he conjured another three chairs. "Up until the late twentieth century, magicals were a hidden group. Governments knew about them but were warned to avoid them. Then there were the nuclear attacks. I was forced to act and reveal the magical world completely. I executed the instigators of those attacks. The magical world already knew and feared crossing me. So I put the magical version of the United Nations in charge.

"I don't have that luxury here. Sooner or later someone is going to try and come after me, they are going to have to do it through my friends because they won't be able to touch me. I am not looking forward to that day." Harry said sadly.

It was something to think about. Harry was going to be a big target, his only weakness would be his friends and loved ones. No one at the Institute would let him leave. Even Hellion had developed a grudging respect for the man.

"The first time I annihilated a soul I was fifteen years old. The criminal was a boy my own age. Whilst attempting to kidnap a large group of girls from my school for the purposes of using them for 'entertainment', he killed my sister, Luna. Death was always going to be his punishment but we had to talk my dad down from torturing him in public. In the end I executed him publicly and I destroyed his soul as you just saw."

"Fifteen years old?!" Val gasped.

"It was war, he had made his choice. I had already removed his legs when I was capturing him."

They just stared at him, trying to comprehend one fifteen year old killing another.

"Couldn't you have just imprisoned him?" Hank asked.

"To what end? He would have been imprisoned for the rest of his natural life, and then his soul would have crossed over where he would start again and be a threat to others. I couldn't let that happen."

"And being the judge, jury and executioner is your responsibility?" Emma asked, he'd already told them this, but it was still hard to grasp.

"It is, but I always listen to the counsel of the Phoenixes." He assured them.

"All you can do is report this Val." Scott told her with a distinct amount of resignation. "Report it and let others make the decisions, you focus on the safety of the remaining mutants in the compound."

*Chapter 5*: Chapter 5  
Chapter 5

The following day Lorna, Remy and Rogue headed off on their trip. Harry decided it was time to implement his plans from his old world. He called an assembly of the students.

"As you know, there are 198, well, 196… wait… 195 mutants left on the planet. Approximately. Maybe." Harry frowned, he needed to make a list at some point. "Anyway, there are a lot of humans out there who hate mutants… why? Because they are idiots, end of story.

"There is a way to counteract that. You need to make mutants invaluable to the planet. Now, the X-Men, based on what Professor Grey has told me, deal with the larger and more dangerous events, invasions, mutants and super powered beings gone wild… the superhero stuff.

"But the X-Men have failed to handle the more mundane side of things. All the general population knows about mutants is what they see on the news, and lets face it, it's usually bad, either mutants doing crime or mutant haters spouting crap.

"They need to see mutants using their abilities for everyday stuff, more importantly they need to experience what mutant powers can do for them."

"Won't they try and control us for our powers?" Laurie asked worriedly.

"They will want to, but if you are out in the public eye providing a service that the average human appreciates, then the population is going to be a little pissed off if someone tries to take away that service and hoard it for themselves. Besides, anyone looking to control or kidnap you has to get through me and the adults first.

"Now, I need a volunteer."

Harry was surprised when Amara stood up and walked over. She still hadn't made a decision on what to do about her soul problem.

"Amara, you can generate heat, fire and control the Earth's magma, yes?"

"I can also fly and sense the Earth's core and movements."

"Excellent, so lets start with the glitzy stuff. Amara would be perfect providing her services to volcanologists around the world who are trying to predict volcanic eruptions in order to protect various human populations."

Amara's face fell. "That's what I was doing before…"

"Ah." Harry pulled her into a one armed hug. He kissed her temple. Fawkes flamed in and landed on Amara's other shoulder gently cooing.

"Let's talk about the more mundane things Amara could do to aid society. Can anyone suggest anything?" He asked.

"She could melt the ice on the walkways and around hospitals and public places." Dani offered when no one spoke up. That brought a smile out of Amara as it was something she used to do when they were all students at the Institute together.

"She could make fires for the homeless." Young Megan Gwynn suggested, Harry loved to hear her talk, her accent was a taste of home, and she could talk and talk and talk…

"Excellent! How could she make money with her power?"

Scott and Hank frowned at this new direction. It was generally considered bad form to use your powers for personal gain.

"She could hire herself out as a heater?" Sofia offered.

"True, anyone else?"

"She could be a glass blower." Hank suggested, he had a feeling he was grasping where Harry was headed. Scott was still in frown mode.

"Yep. Amara, have you thought of anything?"

"Forging, welding, running steam powered locomotives." She said with a grin causing the class to laugh.

Harry laughed as well, glad to see the young woman smile. "Excellent. The key is thinking about what you normally do in a day with your powers, I imagine that more often than not, Amara uses her powers to reheat her hot drinks, Julian likely uses his to lift heavy objects if he loses something, Megan… our short little Welsh girl, probably flies to reach things off the top shelf." This caused a laugh as Megan stuck her tongue out.

"Some of you, like Julian and Amara would be able to do amazing things by offering your services to the fire brigade, rescuing people from burning buildings and the like. Others like Megan could make lots of friends simply working in a supermarket and helping people get things that are too high for them.

"Both are valuable services that make mutants a valuable commodity to the community.

"Now, this does not mean that next week you will be going out to volunteer at the emergency services or get jobs. It just means that I want you to start thinking about what you want to do with your lives and how your powers could help you in your line of work.

"That's it for now, dismissed." Harry told them with a smile.

As the students left, Amara turned to Harry. "I've made my decision, I want to do the soul joining."

Harry smiled, somewhat in relief.

"To you."

Harry was not expecting that. "Amara, joining to someone like me, that you don't have a familial relationship with will likely cause both of us to feel romantic feelings for each other, these types of bonds, they generate and cultivate love, and not of the family type if there isn't an existing basis for it."

"You had a soul mate. Several, yes?"

"Yes." Harry said sadly.

"Then your soul is hurting just as badly as mine. You offered to help me, I offer to help us both." She said firmly.

At the back of the room Dani just shrugged. She clearly knew and couldn't talk her friend out of it.

"I have survived a long time with my damaged soul. How about this, I join you to Dani for a while, if you still feel that you want to help me when you have recovered and gotten over your soul mate, then we will join our souls."

"You can't join me to Dani and then split us, you would leave her damaged." Amara pointed out.

"Damn." She was right. They would be stuck together until Dani found someone else to join to.

"Join us together and we will work on a relationship. Antonio would want me to be happy."

"You know that this won't heal my soul completely. It's been torn apart so many times that it is scarred and I am essentially holding it together with duct tape and faith."

"All the more reason to accept my offer."

Harry sighed. "Ok, we both sleep on it tonight. If neither of us can think up truly honest objection we will do it tomorrow morning."

Amara smiled in relief, she leaned up and kissed Harry on the cheek before heading off to join Dani.

Fawkes hopped off Amara's shoulder and onto Harry's.

"I hope this works out." He said worriedly.

"What exactly could go wrong?" Jean asked as she stepped up beside him, she had been watching with a smile from the corner.

"My soul could completely break down and I lose all my humanity taking her with me and eventually annihilating the universe." Harry stated blandly. "You and the Phoenixes are the only thing keeping my soul together at the moment."

"Yes, which is one of the reasons we brought you here. We are worried that we will fail, plus, we need a rest." She shrugged with an apologetic smile. "There are plenty of people here who you could bond with. Brothers, sisters, sons, daughters… and lovers."

"So this was more to help me than them?" He asked curiously.

"Yes, we told you before, we consider you one of us. We love you like family… well, most of us like family." She smirked. "We want you to heal here, we also want this universe to benefit from your… well, you!"

"And you think Amara will accept this? Or anyone else?"

Jean just giggled. "I happen to know that Amara is trying to convince Dani to help as well."

"Jean, did you tell them? Because I don't recall mentioning what she mentioned." Harry asked with narrowed eyes.

Jean had this absurdly fake innocent look on her face as she placed a hand on her chest. "Moi? Would I ever do anything like that?"

"Just how badly did you romanticise my life?" Harry asked.

"I told them the absolute truth, no frills or thrills. Actually I showed them the memories you and Neville showed me."

Harry sighed again. "You know I haven't been around people for a long time, I haven't been in a relationship in longer! Do they know that too?"

"Harry, would you just trust me?" Jean said exasperatedly. "I know these people, let them help you. If anything goes wrong, Fawkes and I will be here to pick up the pieces."

"Fine, fine."

"Good, now I am going to vanish for a few days. Rachel hasn't called yet and Scott is procrastinating on telling her I'm back. So I am kidnapping him as well, tell Emma for me."

She didn't wait for a response as she vanished in a plume of flame leaving Harry standing there with Fawkes on his shoulder as he recalled the first time someone had tried to convince him that he needed to bond with someone.

Millions of years ago in Harry's home reality:

Harry sat on a chair at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean as he watched Hermione supervise her fellow students from Ancient Runes as they carved various designs into a cliff face on a small island off Japan. When they were finished here they would head off to Africa to apply the second half of the runes to the large crater he had dug earlier that day.

He could barely believe that he was free from destiny now. Voldemort was dead, most of his Death Eaters had been captured, all that was left was cleaning up the rest of the Death Eaters that were hidden amongst the Magical British Empire.

Of course there were still the trials of Dumbledore and Tom Riddle to go through, but Harry would only be called as a witness, Xander would be prosecuting and Neville would be the judge and jury. No one would argue with the decision of a Phoenix. The whole thing was simply a show for the public.

Harry barely noticed as Hermione and Daphne came over to join him, expanding his chair to fit the three of them.

"Enjoying yourself, Harry?" Daphne smirked.

"I am very bored." Harry stated. "I can't leave here because I haven't figured out how to make this permanent." He said as he indicated the area he had sealed off from the rest of the ocean, a good fifty square metres leading straight to the surface. "But there isn't anything else for me to do."

"It leaves us with the opportunity to talk." Hermione stated from where she sat between them.

"About what? Not the whole Riddle thing again." Harry moaned thinking she was going to harp on about his clandestine mission the previous night where he had single handedly eradicated the threat from Voldemort.

"No Harry, something else. It's about Luna."

Harry sat up straight and stared at her. "What?" He demanded sullenly. Luna was still a sore topic for Harry.

"Do you remember Luna's cryptic message to me in her will?" Harry nodded. "Luna told me that you and her were soul mates. That was why you loved each other so much."

"She was my sister!" Harry said with disgust.

"And that is the love that the bond emphasised." Hermione assured him. "You loved her like a sister but you were still soul mates, there is apparently, no requirement for soul mates to be romantically in love."

"So what does this all mean? I'm guessing you aren't trying to make me feel even worse about losing her." Harry frowned.

"Luna told me that you had another potential soul mate. Actually she told me you would have lots of soul mates throughout your long life, but she said that there was another who would be able to take her place and help patch up your soul from the damage caused by her death."

"Daphne?" Harry asked curiously.

"How did you know?!" Hermione asked. "Wait… never mind, stupid question." She muttered as she realised there really wasn't any other reason for Daphne to be a part of this conversation.

"So… what? Luna asked you to sacrifice our relationship so I could be Daphne's soul mate?" He asked sadly.

"For Merlin's sake Harry, do you really think your sister would do that?" Daphne demanded. "Have you forgotten who it was who set your father up with two wives?"

"So… I am going to have two wives?" Harry asked dubiously. He still had trouble with just Hermione.

"Am I really that repulsive to you, Harry?" Daphne glared.

"I think it's safe to say that you are very attractive and that I do like you-"

"Excellent, then it's settled." Daphne interrupted with a pleased smile. "We will start going on dates, I will have to drop out of your classes though." With that she stood up and walked off.

Harry just stared after her. "I wonder if this is what it was like for Dad." Muttered.

"Relax Harry, we'll work it all out. Luna promised this would be good for our relationship." Hermione assured him as she pulled him into a hug. "Without a soul mate you would become more and more insane like Luna's birth father. Unlike him, you can't die."

"So this is what I have to deal with for the rest of my existence? Losing the people I love and having find new people to love?" Harry asked sadly.

"I promise I'll help you prepare for what is to come, we all will." She told him.

Hermione would go on further to learn the secrets of the Philosopher's Stone from Nicholas Flamel so that she and Daphne could stay with him as long as possible. It was the hardest day of his life when he was forced to end their lives himself as insanity took them nearly four thousand years later, but he still loved them and they ensured he had plenty of people to care for him and for him to care for.

Present Day, present reality…

Telling Emma that her boyfriends recently dead-now-alive again wife had taken him to see their temporally and reality displaced daughter, was met with an eye roll by Emma.

"I love the man, but he is terrible at dealing with the inter-personal minutia. The only reason his relationships survived with Jean and myself is because he lets us into his mind. It's no wonder it didn't work with Madelyn."

And that was the end of the discussion.

Harry and the various other adults were often approached by various students over the following days regarding the speech Harry gave on using their powers for others and to get a job.

Harry gave another assembly offering any who wanted it a chance to be human or have their powers turned off temporarily until he could figure out a switch. Anole was quick to volunteer with a few others, but Ben Hammil and Santo weren't sure about being left vulnerable, Hank also refrained for the time being. Harry left the offer open.

There were some unusual cases, like Ruth Aldine, also known as Blindfold. Ruth found Harry to be very intriguing as she could not read him or see his future. The problem for Harry was that Ruth had no eyes, more so, she had no optic nerve and seemed to have no processing centre in her brain to receive external images. So he had no means to give her eyes, not that it phased Ruth, but it irritated Harry and he swore to fix it no matter how long it took.


	2. Chapter 6 - Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> M-Day. A day that would go down in history as the emergence of a new breed of humans. The Magicals. It all started with one individual who thought he was there to save the mutants. Sequel to Potter's Protector, rating for violence and swearing, no slash.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a Repost all words belong to mjimeyg

*Chapter 6*: Chapter 6  
Chapter 6

Harry was about to catch some much needed shut eye when his plans were dashed.

"Harry, I got Logan on the line for you he's with the Avengers and says you need to get to Spiderman now!" Bobby announced through the comm in Jean's room.

Harry just groaned and rolled over as he hit the button to respond. "Thanks Bobby, tell him I'll be right there."

"Harry? What are you doing here?" Peter asked as Harry appeared next to him in the interrogation room. He was currently cuffed in special restraints and in a very uncomfortable position bent over a table.

"Logan called, said I need to get to you now, wasn't big on the details though." Harry yawned as he examined the restraints.

"Who the hell are you and how did you get on my ship?" A woman with dark short hair demanded as she stormed in.

"Harry, meet Maria Hill, Director of SHIELD. She's using psychics to try and steal information from my mind." Peter explained calmly. "Oh, and don't use my real name, call me Spiderman in here."

Harry didn't like that explanation at all and decided he needed to get Peter out of there right now. The problem was that the cuffs on Peter were resistant to magic. He quickly conjured a small lightsabre and cut the restraints before dispelling it before they could see it.

"Thanks man. We need to get my teammate, Vision. He's kind of an android but he's a good guy. They are going to try and steal information from his hard drives." Spiderman warned.

"For the record I hate these people already." Harry groused as he started walking through Maria Hill and out the door. "Just follow me P-Spiderman, they can't physically touch you." He called back over his shoulder.

"Stop! You are both under arrest!" Hill shouted as she pulled her gun.

"Erm… Harry?

"Move it Spider, I was interrupted from my beauty sleep!" Harry's voice drifted back.

Spiderman cautiously began walking towards Hill jumping slightly as she swung her weapon to point at him.

"Move and I'll drop you." She growled.

Spiderman took a deep, he'd seen MJ do this all the time at home… it was really annoying when she would walk into the bathroom when he was on the toilet.

But it always amused him to hear Tony scream as she surprised him.

Spiderman began walking forward.

*BANG*

Spiderman froze.

Maria Hill's gun barrel was smoking.

He knew this new suit that Tony had made him was supposed to be bullet proof but he didn't even feel the impact. He slowly turned around and saw the bullet embedded in the wall.

"I'll… erm… I'll see you later." He said as he squared his shoulders and walked through Hill.

"I need a team armed with energy based weapons. Spiderman and an unknown intruder are attempting to retrieve Vision. Stop them by any means necessary!" She ordered over her radio.

"Alright Pete, what's so important that Logan sent me up here to rescue you instead of doing it himself?" Harry asked as Peter ran up behind him.

"First, Spiderman, remember? Or Spidey. These walls have ears.

"Second, current crisis involves that whole House of M thing. It's currently classified so high that no one outside of certain people no about it, especially the government."

"The students all know." Harry corrected.

"Iron Man is not going to like that!"

"I don't care about that, I care about the fact they were about to mind rape you. I intend to teach them a very harsh lesson about playing with peoples minds." Harry snapped angrily.

"Harry, do you know where you are going?" Spiderman asked suddenly.

"Yeah, I'm not all that good at it but I got the location of your pal from the computers. Wasn't too hard."

"You hacked the SHIELD computers? Wow!"

"Please, by your standards I come from way in the future. My kids played with this level of computing in nursery." Harry scoffed.

"The things you could teach us-"

"Are no where near as important as learning it yourself." Harry interrupted. "I had this discussion with Hank already.

"Here we are." Harry indicated the door they stopped at. He walked through the reinforced door leaving Spiderman to follow.

Spiderman waked through the door to find several unconscious SHIELD agents and Harry unplugging Vision.

"Spiderman, thank you both for rescuing me." The Vision stated in his digitized voice.

"Wasn't me, I just followed Harry."

"Thank you, Harry."

"Your welcome, I've secured this room, what can you tell me about the situation?"

Spiderman and the Vision explained to Harry how an energy had fallen to Earth hours ago and been absorbed by a man named Michael Pointer. He was a mutant who didn't know he was a mutant. But now he was being controlled by the energy. They explained that it appeared to be all the missing energy of the mutants who were depowered on M-Day.

Pointer was an innocent in all of this. But he was also an imminent threat to the world.

*BANG*

*THUD*

The three men turned to see Luke Cage walk through the now demolished doorway.

"Found 'em."

"Hey kid, thanks for the assist." Logan nodded to Harry.

"No big." Harry shrugged.

"Peter, Vision, are you two ok?" Captain America asked as he moved to check his teammates.

"Other than the feeling of being violated…" Peter trailed off with a shudder.

"Yeah, I will be dealing out some punishments for that." Harry scowled.

"You are all under arrest for attacking SHIELD agents!" Hill declared as she arrived with a team of men and women armed with futuristic weaponry.

"Kid, we have a real situation happening and we don't have time for this." Logan snarled.

"Sleep!" Harry commanded.

*THUD*

"Crap." Harry muttered as everyone including the Avengers fell to the ground in a heap.

"I take it that it was not your intent for the Avengers to fall unconscious?" The Vision asked calmly.

"Yeah, it's so hard to target a large group of people within an even larger group." Harry sighed as he started sending spells at the Avengers, waking them up.

"A truly effective method though."

"Dammit kid!" Logan groaned.

"Stop your whining, you have an accelerated healing factor, you of all of them should feel quite refreshed."

"I feel pretty good too." Peter commented. "Can MJ do that? I mean after a night of patrolling she would be a life saver."

"You are not supposed to want your wife to put you to sleep, Spidey." Luke warned.

"Yeah? I'd like to see you teach tenth graders all day, deal with J. Jonah Jameson and patrol a city all night."

"Some of us ain't that stupid." Logan pointed out.

"Could we focus on the part where some guy just put the entire SHIELD carrier to sleep please?" Spider Woman asked agitatedly.

"It's not that big a deal, just a little magic spell. Let's focus on this Pointer guy and the mutant powers. Where is he now?" Harry asked.

"Iron Man and The Sentry are engaging him in physical combat near the moon." Captain America answered.

"But we think Pointer is being controlled by the powers." Spiderman added.

"Alright, let's go to the command centre of this place, we might as well make use of their systems."

Walking through the SHIELD Hellicarrier was an eerie experience. Everywhere they went the place was littered with sleeping SHIELD agents.

"Iron Man, I need a status report!" Captain America ordered as they viewed the array of monitors in the command centre.

"He's adapting to everything we do! He's learning how to use his powers on the fly and we are running out of options!"

"Do we know what he wants?" Harry asked.

"Who is this? Identify yourself!"

"He's a friend Iron Man, he rescued me and The Vision." Spiderman spoke up.

"Steve?"

"I've met him before, he's the one helping the mutants with the sanctuary."

"Fine, we don't know what he wants. All we know is that he headed from somewhere in Canada in a straight line down through the United States. He obliterated anything in his path."

"Do you have any means of storing that power separately if I can remove them?" Harry asked.

"The power of over fifteen million mutants? That would be a no." Peter scoffed.

"Even if we were to divide it between containers?"

"Check with Reed Richards, he might have something." Iron Man suggested.

"Ok, someone get this Richards guy on the phone." Harry ordered.

A few seconds later and Spider Woman had Reed on the screen.

Captain America took the lead. "Doctor Richards, we have a mutant who has absorbed all of the missing powers from M-Day. Do you have a method we could use to store these powers in? We are pressed for time as Iron Man and The Sentry are currently holding him at bay in orbit."

"Captain, you are talking about the energies from over fifteen million mutants. Even if I was able to store something that large I wouldn't be able to keep them separate." Reed warned.

"Damn." Harry whispered.

"It's a shame we can't just clone Pointer and stuff the powers into an empty shell." Spiderman sighed.

"YES!" Harry exclaimed. "That's exactly what we'll do."

"It would take far too long to create a viable clone, first we would need to get some fresh DNA." Reed argued.

"Leave that to me." Harry smiled. "Captain, can you get Iron Man and The Sentry to back off. I need Pointer on the ground, once down just keep him busy whilst I work."

Harry and the rest of the Avengers landed on the former Mutant Nation of Genosha. All around them the death and destruction was clear. Even more evident for Harry as he could see the lost souls that had failed to move on.

"Everybody clear on the plan?" Harry asked.

"The goals? Yes. The execution? No." Luke answered.

"Well, half is dead easy for me the rest will be… an experiment."

Finding Iron Man and The Sentry was fairly easy.

They followed the sound of destruction.

"Ok boys and girls, go and hold him down so I can get close enough." Harry ordered.

Harry stayed put as the New Avengers, as they were known, charged into the fray. Spider Woman flew in with her energy blasts but they had no effect. Spiderman's webbing disintegrated a foot away and Pointer didn't even flinch when Captain America's shield slammed into the side of his head.

This left Iron Man, Ms. Marvel, The Sentry and Luke Cage as the only ones capable of getting close. Wolverine kept getting pushed back out as he lost strength and had to wait for his muscles and ligaments to re grow.

Harry turned himself invisible and headed in. There was too much energy flying around to risk phasing so he just had to dodge. He passed the old man lying on the floor without a glance. He had bigger fish to fry.

He made it to within ten feet of the fracas and began to examine Pointer's DNA. He soon had all he needed so he teleported back away and began to magically create a brand new Michael Pointer.

"Is he doing what I think he's doing?" Spider Woman asked as she and Spiderman stood back with Captain America.

"Creating a clone from nothing in less than five minutes?" Spiderman asked.

"Looks like it." Captain America remarked in awe as they all stared.

"You three, get over here and guard this guy." Harry called out.

"So you are going to transfer all of the mutant energies into this body?" Spiderman asked.

"Nah, wouldn't know where to begin!" Harry grinned. "I'm going to transfer his soul into this body."

"What?" Spider Woman asked in disbelief. She was ignored though as Harry vanished. "Can he really do that?"

"Stephen Strange warned us that he was Death." Cap admitted.

"Jean Grey confirmed it… and she was dead." Spidey added.

"And you're sure he's a good guy?"

"As long as you don't try and play scrabble with him." Spidey said seriously.

Harry needed to do a sneak attack. He couldn't risk using a killing curse at Michael as he wasn't sure how magic would react around all the mutant energy. He already suspected that several students at the Institute would be naturally immune to magic.

His only option was to try and make grab for Michael's soul. He'd only had to do this once before. A nuclear leak on a British submarine meant Harry needed to remove a man's soul without magic. The radiation interfered with magic so he had had to remove the man's soul without magic. He did this by extending his own soul just beyond the surface of his own body.

This was a whole lot easier than back on the sub, mainly because his flesh and bones where beaten eaten away by the raw destructive energies being thrown about by Michael and the Avengers meaning he didn't have far to push his soul. He reached in quickly and grabbed with an ethereal hand and quickly began to retreat with Michael's soul, his own body rebuilding far quicker than Laura or Logan's could.

"Got him!" He called as he reached the rest of the team and the new body.

"He's naked." Spiderman commented.

"Mmmhmmm." Spider Woman hummed appreciatively.

"And now I have feelings of inadequacy."

"Minds on the job people." Captain America chided.

"Oh my mind is definitely on the job." She smirked as the soul of Michael Pointer attempted to cover himself with his hands.

"Stop that and lie down." Harry ordered before he grabbed Michael's shoulder and shoved him into his new body.

"Did it work?" Spiderman asked as the glowing soul vanished into the new body.

"Yeah." Harry waved a hand causing the body to vanish. "I've sent him to the mansion, we can deal with him later."

"If Pointer is now in that new body… what's controlling that body?" She asked as she indicated the continuing battle several feet away.

*VOOM*

"WE ARE XORN!"

"I guess that answers that question." Spiderman groaned as he picked himself up off the floor after the explosive blast threw everyone back.

"Remind me to never ask questions in the middle of a fight." Spider Woman winced.

"Excuse me for a moment boys and girls, I have a nasty to go kill." Harry frowned as he suddenly transformed into his dragon form.

"Whoa!"

"You know you hear about these things… but when you see them… just wow!" Spiderman said quietly.

"His power must truly be immense." Captain America said in awe.

They watched as the huge dragon leapt into the air and pounced on the fiery being, pinning it to the ground.

"XORN, YOU ARE A MALEAVOLENT SPIRIT AND I CONDEMN YOU TO DEATH!" The Dragon roared.

There was a blast of energy and the Dragon went flying.

The Dragon seemed to groan as it picked itself up off the floor. It then vanished to be replaced by Harry. "There goes that plan."

"You were expecting something else?" Spider Woman asked sceptically as the other Avengers resumed the battle.

"It's worked before!" Harry argued. "Now I just have to go old school on it."

"Old School?" Spiderman asked.

Harry smirked and conjured his lightsabre.

"That is not old school… but it is so cool!"

Harry charged back in with the lightsabre flashing away before he soon came flying back out again.

*THUD*

"This really isn't going well." Harry groaned.

"BEHOLD! MY ARMY!" Xorn bellowed.

Suddenly desiccated and decaying corpses of the long dead mutants of Genosha began breaking through the ground. They moved fast, nothing like the inferi of Harry's homeworld.

A grin broke out on Harry's face. "He just spun the odds back in our favour."

"Really… because it looks like he has us outnumbered." Spider Woman snapped as she defended herself with her energy blasts.

"Yeah… but these are dead bodies… and I'm Death!"

Harry rose into the air. "I AM DEATH! DESTROY XORN!"

Instantly the corpses about faced and advanced on Xorn.

"Now I feel bad for doubting him."

But Harry wasn't done. What no one else could see but Harry was the lost souls of the Genoshan Genocide.

"LISTEN TO ME, I CAN GIVE YOU ACCESS TO THE OTHERSIDE! BUT I CAN'T DO THAT IF WE FAIL HERE. HELP US AND I WILL SEND YOU ON TO PEACE!"

"Who's he talking to?" Spider Woman asked.

"Harry is Death… do you really want the answer to that question?" Spiderman asked.

"I really don't."

That's when Harry began to glow.

That's when the lost souls became visible when they began to glow.

That's when the Avengers realised just how powerful Harry was.

"Aren't you going to fight as well?" Spiderman asked as Harry floated back down.

"I'd just get in the way." Harry answered. "These guys will overwhelm that Xorn fella and get a hold of him. Excuse me for a moment, I need to contact my dad."

Harry ignored the questions as he closed his eyes and did something he hadn't done in millions of years: He contacted the Other Side.

Xander Harris had died after three thousand years with his family. Thanks to Hermione's work with Nicholas Flamel aging was no longer an issue, especially as the dragon's blood that was used to make the various stones came from Harry. The potion kept you youthful and healthy. But the average soul only lasted around two to five thousand years before insanity crept in.

People no longer wasted away as the ravages of age consumed them. Instead they went to a healer and acquired a potion. Then they would return to their family and throw a party. A going away party at the end of which they would consume the potion whilst the loved ones surrounded them and they went to sleep… for the last time.

Xander Harris had done the same, he was happy and loved and full of pride in his eldest son, Harry. He had numerous children with his wives and even more grand children.

After Xander had died, Harry used the one ability from the Deathly Hallows that he hadn't ever tried. He contacted the dead. Xander wasn't able to stay long due to the stress of being pulled between domains, but it was enough to assure Harry that his dad was happy.

"You know you should call more often." Came the familiar voice that Harry still thought of as his guide in life.

"I know this causes you pain." Harry responded with a sad smile as he opened his eyes to see the ethereal form of Xander Harris standing before him.

Xander smiled and pulled his son into a hug. "It only hurts after a while. If you call on us for shorter periods more frequently and it isn't a problem."

Eventually they broke apart when Spiderman coughed quietly. "Sorry to interrupt but I think your… army of the dead has won."

Xander and Harry turned around to see the sea of souls standing there patiently with Xorn squirming in the middle as a free floating energy. Michael Pointer's original body was lying still but still glowing with all the energy.

"God, it's worse than Chernobyl." Xander gasped.

"More like Hiroshima." Harry sighed. "Can you guide them across? I figured you might have better luck with the energy they are holding as I can't figure out how to deal with him. Eventually I could try and contain him or dissipate him but for now… I've got nothing."

"Sure, I can do that. Luna said you should call didn't she. Otherwise she would have shown up on her own."

Whilst investigating the Chernobyl area to see if he could do anything to help speed up cleaning the radiation, Harry had discovered thousands of lost souls trapped because they couldn't cross over. Luna had appeared from the Other Side and explained how to contact the Other Side to ask for help in these situations. The event had affected him greatly as he spoke with his beloved sister once again.

Now he had a reason to make a call for help.

"Ok people, listen up!" Harry addressed the souls that were waiting patiently. "This is my Dad, Xander. He's dead, like you lot, but he can guide you over to the Other Side. Just follow him and take that… thing with you." He gestured with a grimace at the energy of Xorn that was still being held by several souls. "Good luck with your new life."

Harry turned and hugged his Dad once more. "Remember to call us just to chat, Harry. We can visit for a few minutes, you know Joyce and Nym will want to catch up."

"I'll try, Dad, but it's very hectic here. Lot's of work to do."

The Avengers watched in awe as Harry summoned the soul of his long dead father after having the lost souls of Genosha defeat Xorn. It was a truly frightening thing to realise you stood in the presence of so much power.

One by one the souls blinked out of existence along with Xorn until all that was left were the Avengers, Harry, Michael Pointer's old body and the old man.

"Ok… Pointer's old body needs to go some where safe." Harry said as he waved a hand causing the body to vanish.

"Erm, Harry-?"

"He's back at the mansion, P-Spidey." Harry corrected himself quickly. "Now who's the old dude?" He asked as he gestured to the old man who was still unconscious.

"Magneto." Wolverine growled angrily.

"Which means he's a bad guy?"

"Multiple attempts at either conquering or destroying normal humans, he believes mutant-kind should rule over everyone." Spiderman explained.

"Should I kill him?"

"Oh let me!" Wolverine chimed in a little too eagerly. "What? You wouldn't let me do it last time!" He pouted.

"We. Do. Not. Kill!" Captain America said heatedly. "We will take him into custody and hand him over to SHIELD."

"Fine, I'll leave him for you to deal with." Harry conceded. "But I warn you, he steps out of line and I will kick his butt out of this realm lickity-split!"

Harry glanced around and waved a hand causing the others to jump as they appeared next to the Avenger's jet. They didn't have time to react before they reappeared on the SHIELD Hellicarrier on the landing deck next to the jet.

"How are you doing that?" Luke asked.

"Magic. Ask Wolverine and Spiderman, Captain America also knows a bit. You lot go and lock up this Magneto guy, I need to have a word with that woman about messing with people's minds."

Harry met the Avengers back at their new headquarters, a huge tower owned by Tony Stark with the Sentry's Watchtower perched on top. He had intended to visit Peter but didn't realise they would all be together.

"Spiderman, I dealt with Hill and her people for mind raping you." Harry assured him.

"You did? Did you kill them?" Spiderman asked.

"Nah, she's not really evil, just… misguided and stubborn."

"Sounds like Fury to me." Wolverine snorted.

"We still need to deal with the fact that SHIELD has knowledge of the House of M." Iron Man said seriously.

"I dealt with that too. I was going to remove the knowledge but decided to have some fun instead." Harry grinned.

"Fun?" Spider Woman asked.

"Well… anytime she tries and do anything with that information, write about it, talk about it, think it at another telepath… she will lactate."

There was a brief silence.

"When you say lactate-"

"Milk will pour from her breasts."

There was a snort from the corner before Wolverine broke into hysterical laughter.

Captain America was a little more concerned. "That seems fairly… unusual punishment. And embarrassing… is that really necessary?"

"She assaulted my friend Spiderman in a way I find disgusting. She should be grateful I didn't cut any limbs off. Besides, it's totally voluntary, as long as she doesn't try and use the information she won't lactate."

"Ha!" Wolverine scoffed. "Woman is definitely too much like Fury, this won't stop her for long, she'll just start working in private."

"Don't worry, whenever she does talk about it she will start listing all her most embarrassing moments in her life and all her crimes."

"What about all the telepaths who did the actual reading?" Spiderman asked.

"Same deal."

"Even if they were men?" Spider Woman asked.

Harry just smiled widely at her.

"Are we sure he isn't evil?" Luke asked.

Harry returned to the Institute and climbed into bed. He instantly felt loneliness creep up on him as he missed Jean's presence next to him. For the past thousand years they had been constant companions, Jean was his saviour, she had rescued him from the solitude he was trapped in.

There was a flash of flame and Amara was standing at the foot of the bed with Fawkes on her shoulder.

"Harry? Why am I here?" She asked.

"No idea, Fawkes?" Harry asked as he sat up in the bed.

The phoenix trilled chidingly.

Harry snorted a laugh. "He knows I'm lonely and thought you might be willing to keep me company whilst I try and get some sleep."

Amara raised an eyebrow at the phoenix that had been helping her the past few days. "Company?"

"He meant in a literal sense, he doesn't do euphemisms." Harry assured her.

"Oh… I am a bit tired and I could stay for a while." She allowed as she began to remove her jewellery and shoes and belt.

Harry smiled and waved a hand causing her to be dressed in a modest set of silk pyjamas. "I can give you a nightgown if you prefer."

"This will do for tonight." She smiled as she crawled under the covers next to him.

"Harry, there's this SHIELD- oh… sorry!" Dani blushed as she realised what she had teleported into.

"We were just trying to sleep Dani, nothing else!" Amara assured her.

"Together?"

"Fawkes suggested it as I was having trouble sleeping alone. For the past one thousand years Jean has always been with me."

"Who did you sleep with since you got here?"

"I haven't slept."

"WHAT!" Both girls exclaimed.

"Well screw that! That SHIELD bitch can come back later." Dani declared before vanishing.

"You really haven't slept?" Amara asked.

"Physically I don't need to sleep, I can go on and on, but mentally and emotionally, I need the rest like any other being." Harry explained.

"SHIELD Bitch is gone, told her to come back next week." Dani told them as she reappeared and transfigured her clothes into a very immodest nightgown.

"Erm… Dani… you know we were serious about sleeping… right?" Harry asked.

"Sure, but who knows what we will get up to when we wake up!" She declared with a grin.

"Oh Dani." Amara sighed.

They all settled down as the girls snuggled into Harry's sides.

It was only a few seconds before Dani spoke up quietly. "Harry, what did the Bitch want? She smelt really rank."

"Oh she probably wanted me to reverse what I did to her."

"Which was?" Amara asked.

"She tried to mind rape Peter Parker, so I removed her knowledge of how to go to the bathroom."

"What?" Dani asked as both girls leaned over him.

"I thought it a suitable punishment. She just needs to go through potty training again." He smiled.

"So that smell… EW!" Dani shuddered.

"I'm sure she'll manage with adult nappies for a while till she learns." Harry laughed. "Now, less talk, more sleep!" Harry declared as he pulled the girls closer to him.

*Chapter 7*: Chapter 7  
Chapter 7

Despite Dani's efforts they didn't manage to 'get up' to anything the next morning, but both girls made sure to drag Harry into their beds to get sleep when they realised he wasn't sleeping. Lorna also volunteered.

Eventually Scott and Jean returned, both were very angry. It seemed that the Shi'ar had decided to eradicate the entire Grey family line. They would have succeeded if Jean hadn't been there, as it was there were several casualties that she brought to Harry for healing.

Scott was in an even worse mood as he had been getting angry messages from SHIELD Director, Maria Hill. He had no idea what the real problem was as she refused to say, he just knew she was pissed at Harry.

That same evening Harry received an urgent call on the communicators from Rogue.

"Something took Polaris! It looked familiar, it was a large green… blob." Rogue reported.

"Green blob?" Harry asked in amusement. "Emma, Scott, do you know any large green blobs?"

"It could be Daap." Scott offered.

"Wait, you're serious?"

"Actually, we're X-Men." Emma said dryly.

"Unfortunately, that explains a lot." Harry sighed. "Alright, I'm on my way."

"Lorna, what ya doin'?" Harry asked as he found himself in a dimly lit chamber. There were large machines everywhere including one that sat in the centre of the room and seemed to be connected to the floor and ceiling.

Strapped to this machine was Lorna Dane.

Lorna didn't respond though as she was unconscious.

Harry cast an Enervate on her and she groaned as she slowly woke.

"Hi there sleepy." Harry grinned. "We have actual beds at the Mansion."

"That little bastard!" She snapped as events came back to her. "If I ever find that little tub of green jello I am so kicking his arse!"

"At least you remember what happened." Harry muttered.

"Help me out of this thing Harry." Lorna asked somewhat tiredly.

Harry grabbed her shoulders and gently phased her out.

"Who dares invade my domain!" Came a booming voice.

"Death." Harry snapped in annoyance.

This intrigued the voice. "Indeed? You wish to become one of my Horseman, tell me, how did you find me?"

"What the devil are you talking about?" Harry demanded in irritation.

The figure seemed to melt out of the shadows.

"Oh god! Harry, that's Apocalypse! We should leave now!" Lorna began to panic a little.

"Have you forgotten what I am?" Harry grinned.

"What you are will make little difference, it is what I decide you will become that should concern you." Apocalypse intoned.

"Harry, we've tried killing him so many times, he just keeps coming back!"

"Yeah, that tends to happens with clones." Harry said dryly.

"He's a clone?" Lorna asked in surprise.

"He's as soulless as they come." Harry nodded. "He's definitely alive, but he has no soul. Which means that even if I do kill him, he might come back if someone activates another of his clones."

"God, he's like a damned cockroach." Lorna moaned.

Apocalypse, meanwhile, was watching curiously. The woman, he had plans for, she feared him, which was as it should be. But the man had no fear. It was almost as if he didn't believe the woman's tales. He would rectify that.

"I- "

Whatever Apocalypse was about to say was cut off, along with his head, which bounced onto the floor and rolled away. Two seconds later and the body toppled like a building being demolished.

"Harry… where did you get a lightsabre?" Lorna asked in awe.

"I made it, these things cut through just about anything." Harry grinned as he began twirling it around expertly. He suddenly finished in a defensive stance. "Took me years and years of watching the movies before I could do that without cutting something off. Usually my face." He admitted wryly as he dispelled his lightsabre.

A nearby table suddenly collapsed as one of the legs was neatly sliced away.

Harry looked from the demolished table to Lorna and grinned sheepishly. "Ten million years and I still haven't got it perfected."

Any further comments or questions by Lorna was interrupted by Jean flaming in with Rogue, Gambit, Beast, Wolverine, Scott and Emma. Each was in a combat stance.

Each looked at a shocked and dumbstruck Lorna to a grinning Harry who was pointing with a jabbing motion to the corpse at his feet.

"See, I told you Harry had it covered." Jean snapped. "Hank… your getting Apocalypse in your fur."

"Yeeeeeaaaaahhh!" Hank yelped as he kicked the severed head away from him.

Everyone just looked at him somewhat amused. "Why don't we all play a game young Bobby liked to play when we were kids, he called it: 'That never happened'?" Hank suggested as he clasped his hands behind his back.

"Hell no, that was so funny!" Harry laughed.

"As amusing as you find my… predicament, perhaps you could explain how you managed to defeat one of the X-Men's greatest foes?" Hank asked. Granted they did need to know, but really it was an excuse to distract them from his… girly screams.

"I cut off his head." Harry declared.

"Well… how did you even get close enough to touch him… and what sort of blade did you use? Even Wolverine has trouble making a mark on him!" Scott asked.

"My blade is very special." Harry whispered conspiratorially.

"It's a damned lightsabre!" Lorna rolled her eyes.

"Hey! Spoilsport."

"We have better things to do than you messing with them, now show them the lightsabre so we can sort this place out, destroy it and go home." Lorna ordered.

"Technically y'are home, this… thing just appeared near the Mansion." Rogue told them.

"Seriously? What the hell did it land on?" Harry asked.

"A park." Scott told them.

"Jeeze, how many people did this idiot kill just because he wanted a flashy entrance?" Harry growled as he kicked the corpse viciously.

"We need to search this place and destroy all the equipment, it's far too dangerous to leave to governments." Scott explained.

"Scott, this thing is huge, it would take days to explore it. Using explosives would cause untold damage to the surrounding area." Emma reasoned.

"I could always hide it." Harry offered.

"Hide it?" Emma asked. "Maybe you should go outside and see just how big this is."

Harry shrugged and vanished. He reappeared seconds later. "Merlin this thing is an eyesore!" He exclaimed. "If I had the time I'd send it into the sun, I'll just have to hide it."

"How ya gonna hide it?" Rogue asked.

"The original version of the Lily Charm." Harry explained. "It will hide this… thing, and move it out of phase."

"What if someone finds it, what if Apocalypse comes back?" Scott asked worriedly.

"I have an idea, but we need to talk to Magma." Jean offered. "I'll be right back."

"Magma?" Harry asked.

"Amara." Hank supplied absently as he continued to focus on cleaning his furry foot. Harry took pity on him and cast a cleaning spell. "Oh thank you." Hank breathed. "I hate getting blood and guts in my fur." He shuddered.

"Don't you volunteer to work in the infirmary, mon ami?" Gambit asked in amusement.

"Would you rather I didn't and there was no one around to fix you up when a Sentinel bashes your noggin in?" He responded haughtily.

"Non, non, you be the best, Beast." Gambit backpedalled.

At this point Gambit was saved from the ire of Hank by the arrival of Jean and Amara.

"Ok, Magma says this will work, Harry will phase the entire structure into the Earth's core and she will guide him." Jean announced.

Everyone just stared at Jean.

"Wouldn't it be simpler for Harry to send it into the sun, like he suggested?" Hank asked.

"It would take years for it to reach the sun." Harry explained. "Unless you know of a way to get me to the sun in the blink of an eye?"

There was a round of shared looks and glances, but they came to the conclusion that they couldn't do that.

"Will you be able to protect yourself down there?" Amara asked nervously. She still had nightmares about watching Antonio die in the lava as his powers vanished without warning.

"I can't die, Amara. Watch." He conjured his lightsabre, much to the amazement of the others, and attempted to cut off his arm, much to the horror of the others. "See? Can't die, in my universe I actually went into my sun, it did disintegrate me, but I kept reconstituting. Very painful that one." He shuddered.

"Why would you do that?" Lorna demanded angrily.

"I was trying to die, I was the last living creature in my universe, had been for millions of years, I wanted to die and crossover. Apparently, it's something I am not capable of." He said sadly.

Harry found himself in a group hug with Jean, Lorna and Amara… and Hank.

Scott looked at Emma in amusement as she had nearly taken a step forward.

"Alright, this is going to take a few days, so be alert, remember the students are your first priority, in an emergency have Dani or Lorna call for me, we will leave the structure where it is and finish later."

"Before you do this, we should check for survivors." Scott pointed out. "He kidnapped Lorna, we need to know if he kidnapped anyone else."

"That could take a while." Rogue muttered. "We have any speedsters?"

"What about Jamie Madrox?" Lorna suggested.

"Oh god." Scott moaned.

Everyone just looked at him with a smile.

"He's not that bad, Scott." Hank admonished.

In short order Jamie Madrox aka Multiple Man was drafted in, the rest of X-Factor tagging along for the ride.

"You shouldn't be here."

These were the first words out of a young teenagers mouth, she was a short blonde who seemed to have an instant dislike for Harry.

"I've got nowhere else to be." Harry retorted. He was used to animosity but this kid hadn't even met him yet.

"I don't know you."

"You could try and get to know me."

"This is wrong." She stated before wondering off, muttering to herself.

"What the hell did I do?" Harry asked out loud.

"That's Layla. She… knows stuff." Jamie explained. "Almost like she knows the future."

"A seer?" Harry asked.

"Meh, Guido and I don't think so, she refuses to give us any football scores."

"Maybe she just has a strong moral fibre." Theresa pointed out snidely.

"What's a good diet gotta do with making money on the ponies?" Guido asked.

"I think she means-"

"Save it man, it's not worth it." Jamie advised Harry.

"Ah! We have something!" Jamie declared as he received information from one of his dupes.

Quickly they started running down hallways, it took them to the lower levels where they found something truly horrific.

"My god, is that Sunfire?" Hank muttered. The man in a red costume of Asian descent was missing both his legs at half way up the thigh. He had a trail of blood behind him as he had clearly been dragging his body.

"Ah gawd! I thought he was dead!" Rogue cried in horror. "That bitch Deathstrike cut his legs off and imprisoned us, he made me take his powers to defeat her, when I went back for him he was gone!"

"He has lost a lot of blood and he is in shock." Hank reported.

"Remove the bandages from his stumps."

"Harry, that might be the only thing preventing him from bleeding out!" Hank objected.

"Don't worry, limb replacement was one of the first things I learnt to do." Harry said with small smile.

Having seen everything Harry had done so far, Hank barely hesitated. He began removing the bandages, he was shocked to see blood being held back by an invisible force. A quick look at Harry assured him that he was responsible.

Once the stumps were free, Harry knelt down and began to focus. The gathered group watched in amazement as the bones began flow out and reform, followed by the muscles, veins, arteries, flesh and skin. It was like watching water flow.

"That was an odd contrast of the beauty of creation from the horror of his injuries." Hank said in complete awe.

"Thank you Hank. No one has ever said anything like that before." Harry said sincerely.

"Where they blind?" Emma asked in disbelief.

"Actually, they are usually too busy revelling in the fact that they were being made whole. It's not the same sentiment, but very fulfilling." Harry explained.

"I can understand that." Scott agreed as he absently rubbed around his visor.

"You only have to ask Scott." Harry pointed out. "Lorna, would you take him to the infirmary, please?"

Lorna just nodded before touching the newly healed man's shoulder and vanishing.

"Ok, there is a corpse lying in a corridor, a stone man trapped in a room by my dupes and someone who looks like he has been tortured and experimented on." Jamie reported.

"Last one first, lead the way." Harry ordered.

What they found made their blood boil. Scott and Hank were able to identify Gazer, but only barely.

"This is weird, he has his physical mutations but no x-gene or the energy to power it." Harry mused.

"He's been brain washed." Emma informed them. "Apocalypse was re-creating his four horsemen and Gazer was to be War."

"Can ya fix him? Erase those memories?" Rogue asked.

"I can, but it will be a lengthy process."

"Nah, it'll take me about five seconds." Harry told them.

"Five seconds?" Emma asked incredulously.

"Well, maybe two."

"TWO!"

"Magic, Emma." Jean reminded her.

"Yes, of course." Emma sighed.

It was a bit of a surprise when Gazer started changing colour and looking more human. Pitch black hair with olive tanned skin, still fairly short though.

"His body was dying, severe radiation poisoning." Harry explained. "I would have had to do something regardless."

Lorna suddenly appeared again. "Another one?"

"It's Gazer." Scott told her.

"Oh, how did he get down here?" She wondered. But it was mostly to herself, she didn't wait for an answer before she grabbed his shoulder and teleported out.

"Ok, Jamie, can you lead Jean to the corpse and have a dupe lead the rest of us to the stone guy?"

"Sure." Jamie stomped his foot and they went off.

The stone guy, called Ozymandias, was on one of the upper floors. He had tried to escape but Jamie had simply overwhelmed him with numbers.

"What do we know about Ozzy, here?" Harry asked.

"He's always been with Apocalypse and usually works for him. He's just as bad, just not as powerful." Scott explained.

"He's also a bloody horcrux." Harry commented blithely. "Well, in that case, bye bye Ozzy."

"My master will rebuild me, he always does." Ozymandias spat.

"Sure, but your soul will not be around for it." Harry shrugged. The blast of green light caused the stone to disintegrate, all except Scott, Emma and Hank were surprised to see Harry's hand snap forward and a misty visage of the soul appear and then dissolve.

"I've always wondered what that looked like." Jean commented in hushed tone. "But never wanted to see it."

"What was that?" Monet St. Croix asked.

"That was Harry destroying the soul completely. When you die, your soul crosses over to the afterlife. But Harry can erase it completely from existence." She explained.

"But… Sunfire? You're a healer!" Theresa blurted.

"And sometimes, death is the ultimate form of healing." Harry said softly.

That caused Theresa to consider it.

"Man… that's…. " Jamie tried to think of the right term.

"Deep?" Monet suggested.

"Fuckin' morbid."

"Got go with Guido on this one." Jamie nodded vigorously.

Theresa looked about to lay into him when she noticed Logan, Remy and Rogue all agreeing.

"Yeah, I'm a real morbid guy." Harry grinned happily.

They suddenly found themselves looking up at the huge sphinx like structure from outside.

"You take care of those kids and remember to have Lorna or Dani call me if things get… funky." Harry ordered as he grabbed Amara around her waist and floated them up.

"I like him, think he could come join our team?" Guido asked cheerfully.

This did not please Layla who stomped off with an inarticulate growl. The others stayed to watch as the Sphinx began to sink into the ground, they left the clean up to SHIELD who had finally turned up. Hill was not pleased that she had lost all that technology.

X-Factor returned home despite Layla's ranting that they needed to lock up and interrogate Harry. Most of the Mansion residents just laughed at the thought of actually containing Harry, especially Hank and Emma who had witnessed Harry walk right through the armed guards of the sanctuary.

Sunfire refused to leave, stating that he owed a debt of honour to Dr. Potter for making him whole. No one would miss him as he had no home back in Japan anymore.

Gazer was still struggling as he had made his peace with dying and now found himself alive and completely healed and human. He spent much of the time with Nightcrawler in the chapel.

It was two days after Harry and Amara had left that the X-Men realised they needed Harry back. Dani hadn't hesitated when she heard the news and practically screamed for Harry to return. Her mental call had been so desperate that she accidentally called all the magicals, Peter and MJ were put to use in dealing with a traumatised Leech, Sofia, David and Kevin who had seen the horror in the infirmary.

"What the hell happened here?" Harry demanded angrily as he took in the sight.

Jay Guthrie was laying, bleeding on the bed with his wings amputated.

"We found him on the door step like this." Scott said, his voice was clear and calm, but his jaw was tight, his emotions heaving against his control.

"God dammit!" Harry growled. "Remove the bandages and flip him over."

Hank and Jean immediately moved to comply.

"Scott, I need to know everything you know." Harry said calmly, but the seething anger was clearly audible.

"We don't know anything." There was a hint of desperation and grasping in his voice. "Jay literally showed up on our doorstep, Emma and I found him, had Dani transport him here and called in Hank and Jean."

"Emma, Jean, can you tell me anything, his thoughts?"

"There's far too much pain, but, it's almost as though… Oh god, he's waking up!" Emma cried.

"Like hell." Harry snapped, a bolt of blue light shot out of his hand.

"I can't sense him, what did you do?" Emma asked.

"Put him in a coma. I can revive him later, I just find it easier to operate when the patient isn't screaming in agony or completely hysterical." Harry explained, the bandages were off and Harry was already at work.

"You can do this with mutant appendages as well?" Hank asked, despite the horror of the situation this was still an incredible learning experience.

"As long as it's a natural part of him, in his DNA so to speak." Harry answered absently.

He soon stood back to reveal the peach coloured wings that defined Jay Guthrie as 'Icarus'.

"Incredible."

Harry didn't recognise that voice so he turned towards it to see Sunfire standing there gaping in amazement.

"It's good to see you up and around." Harry said with a subdued smile.

"I owe you a great debt, Potter-sama." He said with a deep bow.

This shocked them all, most of the older X-Men were familiar with Japanese customs after spending time in Japan.

Surprising them all, Harry returned the bow but only slightly less deeply. "It was my honour to restore you, I have faith that you will continue to uphold the traditions of the samurai."

"I would swear my allegiance to you, Potter-sama. It would be a great honour."

"If that is your wish, then you would bring honour to us both." Harry returned. "We will speak of this later, for now, I would request your aid in defending the children who live here. This one has suffered, but we must ensure the rest may sleep peacefully."

"I shall stand guard, Potter-sama." With that Sunfire marched out.

"For god's sake, someone tell me his name!" Harry groaned.

"Shiro Yoshida." Jean said with a slight smirk.

"Kid, do you know what just happened?" Logan asked, he was very familiar with the Way of the Warrior.

"I just won the loyalty of a powerful samurai."

"Do you know what that means?"

"He and any who follow him will look to me for advice and leadership, as well as expecting me to see to the safety prosperity of their fiefdoms should they fall on hard times." Harry looked up at Logan and smiled. "Back in my world I was known as a fierce warrior but a noble king. I eventually ruled the world, I learnt a lot about the cultures of the planet."

"The whole world?" Amara asked sceptically.

"Every single millimetre. People liked having a leader who didn't make promises he couldn't keep and never lied." Harry turned business like. "You lot shouldn't be here, Jay could have been a message. Jean, take to the skies and keep a look out, Emma, get in that Cerebro thing and do the same, Logan join Sunfire, Scott, get on the line with Cooper and tell her to up the security, also tell her to expect a bollocking from me, Jay should have been noticed long before he reached the gates."

Everyone looked at Scott expectantly. "Understood." Was all he said before spinning on his heel and heading off. The others shook their heads in disbelief but left to do the same.

"That was… unexpected." Hank said, still in surprise at Scott's acceptance of Harry giving orders.

"Well, he couldn't exactly object, nothing I said was anything that shouldn't have been said." Harry shrugged.

"Still, he might confront you about you giving orders later." Lorna advised.

"I have a secret weapon against him." Harry grinned evilly.

Nobody dared ask what.

"Now, lets wake Jay up and see what's the what." Harry stated as he cast an over-powered Enervate at Jay.

"What… NO! Don't touch me!" The instant he realised where he was he began screaming.

Then he noticed his wings and became hysterical.

"NO! NO! NO!" He kept screaming over and over again.

"MAYBE YOU SHOULD PUT HIM OUT AGAIN!" Hank yelled over Jay.

Harry, however was looking straight into Jay's eyes. What he gleaned enraged him.

*SMACK*

The sound of Harry's hand impacting Jay's cheek echoed through the now silent room.

"You bastard." Harry growled. "Do you know what you've done? Do you know how many people you've hurt and traumatised?"

"Harry!" Hank whispered in shock. He was usually such a jovial appearing young man, but something had enraged him to the point he treated him like a malevolent creature. But Harry rarely showed emotion, he simply did what he had to and moved on. Only showing compassion for the witnesses.

"If you wanted to be human you could have come and asked me and no one would have batted an eyelid. But no, you went and had horrific acts committed on you and sold out your friends."

"It's what God wanted!" Jay retorted angrily. "Witch!" He spat.

"It's 'Wizard', little boy. But for you, you will continue to call me by my true name, from now on, you will call me 'Death', and you will forever be known as 'Icarus'." Harry told him with pure venom as a glow settled over Icarus before vanishing into him.

"Let me tell you something about yourself, Icarus. Your healing power makes you immortal. There are several mutants I've met whose bodies are immortal. They can be killed, but if left to their own devices, they will never physically die. They will have to rely on me to send their souls on."

This news stunned Beast, he and Professor Xavier had always suspected that Logan could potentially live forever, but that there were others was amazing.

"From this day on, your wings can never be hidden. You will learn to embrace your mutant abilities, you selfish bastard." Harry stepped out of the curtained area and after Hank followed he closed the curtains behind them and moved to Hank's office.

"Times like this I could use some Firewhiskey." Harry groaned as he conjured a pair of reclining armchairs for them.

"Harry… what happened?" Hank was very concerned, not just about Jay, but the effect it had on Harry as well.

"That bastard went to Stryker, well, Stryker found him in fairness. Convinced him to let him cut off his wings and tell him everything he could about me and the kids, I don't know how the hell Stryker knows about me yet." Harry considered.

"My god." Hank murmured. "We need to tell Scott, the Institute is in danger."

"The institute is already in danger. Icarus didn't know anything relevant, everything was out of date." Harry assured him. "But I can use what Icarus told Stryker against him."

"Was it really necessary to be so rough on the lad?"

"He was going to sell Sooraya out to them."

Hank began to growl. Jean and Logan would be very angry, they had been pivotal in bringing Sooraya to the Institute, Logan had rescued her from a devastating massacre.

Their discussion was interrupted by Dani teleporting in.

"Harry, I think Emma's gone off the deep end, she's having the students fight each other, it's like Battle Royale in the Danger Room." She said worriedly.

"For the love of god!" Harry groaned. "Tell Jean to get in Cerebro, I'll deal with Emma."

Harry vanished leaving Dani and Hank wondering what else would go wrong.

When Harry appeared in the Danger Room, it was utter chaos. Everyone seemed to be attacking everyone.

Harry was already in a bad mood, his dragon side was desperate to come out and do something. So he changed.

"ENOUGH!" The dragon roared.

Everybody froze. They had all heard of the huge dragon that Harry could become, but seeing it was something else, especially when it was angry and facing you.

"Everybody assemble in the dining hall, I want every student and professor there who hasn't had prior orders from me. And I mean every student; human, magical and mutant."

The students looked nervously between Emma and the dragon, a small part of Emma's mind was both insulted and pleased that they thought she was just as scary as a dragon.

"MOVE!" The dragon roared.

The dragon was now officially scarier.

Harry teleported Emma down in front of him from the control room, still in his dragon form. He didn't have access to all of his magical abilities but he could do the basics in this form.

"What were you thinking Emma?" The dragon growled.

"War has been declared. They need to learn to defend themselves, they need to know how to fight."

"No, they need to learn how to live! We are the warriors, we are the defenders of the children."

"And what if we fail? We failed Jay." She finished quietly.

Harry realised that she wasn't just in shock, she was blaming herself. Harry shifted to his human form.

"Emma, he chose that." Harry said as he placed his hands on her shoulders. "He willing went to Stryker, Stryker did manipulate him, but he went there willingly. Furthermore he willingly gave Stryker more information and agreed to help him get to the students."

Emma's head shot up. "Why?"

"He was bought up Christian, Stryker is a 'Reverend', combined with his natural naivety it wasn't very hard for Stryker to use him." Harry explained. "He knew a lot about Icarus, my guess is he was watching him and the others for a long time."

"I'll kill that bastard!" She growled.

"Icarus or Stryker?" Harry asked.

"I'll get back to you."

"I have Icarus' punishment well in hand." Harry assured her. "But we still need to talk about you."

Emma's head snapped up to look at him.

"Let's forget the fact that you endangered the students by having them fight each other. They are still learning control and could have seriously injured each other.

"More importantly, we are in a crisis, a state of emergency and you abandoned your post at Cerebro and left a huge hole in our available defences."

It had been a conscious act of rebellion on her part. She felt she had failed a student, felt that Harry had lied to them, if he was so powerful then why hadn't he saved Jay from horrific mutilation?

So she had ignored the orders given and sought to protect her students by having them protect themselves.

"I see." Harry sighed.

She looked up at him.

"It's written on your face… and you are practically broadcasting it." Harry told her. "Come, we will talk more later, we need to address the students. Rumours will be bouncing around and it is better if they have the truth, they will trust us more in the long run."

Harry teleported them up to the dining hall where the students and adults were assembled.

"Give them the outline, I'll fill in the details." Harry said as he gestured for her to address them.

Emma steeled herself and stepped forward. "Approximately half an hour ago, Jay Guthrie was found on the Mansion doorstep, his wings had been amputated and he was dying. We took him to the infirmary where Dr. Potter was called in and he healed him, he now has his wings back.

"Before you run off thinking this was an attack, please listen to what Dr. Potter has to report."

She stepped back and gave a nod to Harry.

"Healing Icarus' wings was easy. I had him physically healthy in minutes. Due to the fact that we didn't know what had happened, we deployed various X-Men to patrol and guard the Mansion. They are still out there. The O*N*E has been informed and should have also heightened their security."

Harry sighed and rubbed a hand over his eyes. He had been up for a long while, he had to stay awake to keep the structure he had been phasing… phased.

"Now, the reason for Icarus having his wings removed..." Harry said. "I read his mind, he went to Stryker. Stryker manipulated him by using his Christian upbringing to convince him completely that he was cursed by God and that he needed to have the wings removed. It was Stryker and his people that surgically removed his wings."

There were various mutterings and whispers going through the hall.

"Silence." Harry ordered firmly. "You need to hear all of this.

"Icarus didn't just do this and have his wings removed, which I would have accepted, but definitely not approved of, he also gave Stryker information on us. On our movements. Granted, Stryker spun him a tale of doing God's work and helping bring them to Jesus, but it was all lies.

"Icarus is to be stripped of his birth name. Joshua 'Jay' Guthrie is no longer his name. He will be called 'Icarus', his mutant codename. Icarus will keep his wings and be unable to hide them, this is his punishment for the crimes he sought to commit against the rest of us. He colluded and gave information to a terrorist who has made it clear he wants to eradicate mutant kind.

"For the next few days, the Institute will be on complete lockdown. Only Dani, Lorna and myself will be heading in and out, though I may take people with me. This will be for two days at the most. After that, I should have things sorted so that you can have your freedom back, and more.

"Now, head off and discuss things if you want, you've got two hours till lights out."

"He made it all the way down the road and your people couldn't see?" Harry was nearly screaming in rage at Val Cooper. "There is a trail of blood half way up the road, what the hell where they doing that they couldn't identify him… didn't identify him?"

"We are looking into it Doctor, but it will take time." Val tried to reassure him.

Harry just looked at her. "What exactly is going to take time?"

"We need to find out who was on duty…"

"This is a military outfit, no? Don't try and pull this bullshit with me, Dr. Cooper. I have served at nearly every rank imaginable."

"No, the military knows who was on duty, I don't." Val explained quickly. "They aren't telling me. It's Lazer, he was the one who wanted to put the tags in people. I didn't find out till later that they actually had a tazer like function built into them."

"If you actually care about the work you do, the people you are trying to protect, then I suggest you quit the O*N*E and find someone to work with who shares your views. The Xavier Institute could always use more help. By the time I am done, the O*N*E will be a shambles and General Lazer will find himself in a whole heap of trouble." Harry didn't wait for a response, he just vanished.

"He's not joking, or making idle threats." Val commented as she hit a button on her keyboard. The large monitor on the wall opposite flashed on revealing the image of General Lazer.

"The United States does not give in to threats." He spat. That little runt thought he could actually touch him. He would see just how much power Potter had compared the United States.

"He isn't threatening the United States, just a branch of the government and military that seems to be failing to live up to its mandate." She retorted.

"I decide the mandate, Doctor. Potter will discover that all his threats mean nothing when set against the full force of the US military."

"And the President supports this?"

"The President listens to me. He knows just how dangerous mutants and super powered beings are. They threaten our way of life. Just one of them could destroy our economy, our loved ones. They need to be stopped before they can start. Even if that means killing them all."

"General, you can't be serious? That's genocide! You'll be lucky to make it to The Hague alive!"

"Mutants will make a mistake sooner or later, and when they do, we'll cleanse the human race once and for all."

Val and the General were both startled when Harry materialised in the room. "I suggest you run and hide, General. I will be coming for you." He blasted the monitor with a Reducto.

"I will be showing this to Captain America and Dr. Strange. They will help me get it to the highest reaches of government, like I said a minute ago, you might want to jump ship now." With that, Harry vanished properly.

The students mournfully boarded the bus. They had been told that they needed to leave for their own safety. They weren't mutants and they had no place in a mutant school. Others would leave later, making their own way.

They travelled through sewers and Morlock tunnels to avoid being spotted, their mutant friends accompanying them as far as they could, exchanging hugs and promises to keep in touch as they climbed aboard.

As the bus pulled a way, a bright flare erupted behind them, a rocket launched into the air homing on the bus, the students in the bus began to panic as both they and their friends on the outside watched on helplessly.

And then the rocket hit.

The bus went up in a ball of orange flame, it took up to thirty seconds for some of the debris to crash back down to Earth. The mutant students rushed to aid who they could, but the flames were too hot for them. Their friends were dead or dying. They were beyond help. All that remained was fire, death and tears.

"It's all clear!" Came a voice.

All the crying stopped.

The dead, injured and grieving… they simply vanished.

O*N*E personnel suddenly moved out of cover and began clean up.

"Creepiest damned thing I ever saw." Logan commented quietly.

Several hundred metres away, beneath several layers of shields and concealment charms, the entire population of the Institute was arrayed in a single line with a perfect view of what happened.

Harry stepped forward to stand in front of the spectators and addressed them.

"I let this play out just so you would see the truth." He told them. "Early plans, post M-Day, were for all non-mutants to be sent home, Icarus gave Stryker these plans and this is what he did with them."

All of the students were in shock, many were crying. Some had seen themselves horrifically killed or injured, others saw their friends dying as they watched helplessly.

Icarus was on his knees, heaving his stomach contents. But nobody helped him.

"I showed you this for another reason, to show you just how much power I have, how much control. I originally created these… golems, I guess, as a means to foil assassinations, but towards the end of humanity's existence in my world, when there were only a handful remaining, despair set in, so I used the golems to trick them into believing they weren't the last.

"I will do everything in my power to protect you and ensure your safety and happiness. Tonight Fawkes will sing for you whilst you sleep. Phoenix song aids in making us feel better and lifting our spirits. If you need to talk to anyone, we'll all be available tomorrow."

With that, Harry waved a hand and the students vanished leaving Scott and Harry standing there.

"Come on, let's go see if Val actually managed to track them down." Scott sighed as he turned and headed off. He was really hoping Fawkes was as good as Harry said, he was already having flashbacks.

Harry just shrugged and teleported them out.

Scott stumbled as he nearly walked into Val, he wasn't aware Harry was going to do that, he turned to glare at Harry, who just grinned.

"Dr. Potter, Cyclops. Next time would you mind appearing a few steps back, it's very disconcerting." Val said tensely. It didn't matter that it was fake, she just watched terrorists blow up innocent civilians, she was pissed. Not to mention her recent orders.

"You have the data for us, Val?" Harry asked.

And here was what Val was dreading. "I have been ordered not to give you the data pertaining to tonight's operations."

"Because the O*N*E is going to arrest them?" Harry asked badly affected fake hope.

"Because they wish to take a 'wait and see' approach." She breathed out, she tensed, waiting for the blow up.

"Wait for what and see what?" Cyclops asked, he was very confused.

"I… I honestly don't know." Val leaned back against the military humvee she was standing next to. "It seems that Lazer managed to avoid any fall out over the tagging issue, he is still in command. If I could give you the information I would, Lazer be damned! But he ordered Reyes to confiscate it and bring it to him immediately."

"Sounds to me like you are not liking your job." Harry smirked.

"Dr. Potter, if I don't stay here and keep an eye on things someone worse will come along." She snapped.

"Meh, call me Harry, and whoever comes along is irrelevant." He shrugged. "The O*N*E is only allowed to participate because I let them participate."

Val looked at him sceptically.

Harry just laughed. "Quit your job, come work for me and I will not only pay you to ensure law, order and safety amongst… well, I guess 'powered-humans' will do, but I will also give you the powers and abilities to get the job done."

"You want me to just walk up to my boss, say 'I quit' and expect them to say: 'we're sorry to see you go' and expect them to let me leave?" She asked incredulously.

"I was thinking of writing a letter or an email." Harry offered.

Scott just snorted a laugh. Harry was about as serious as Bobby or Peter Parker. He seemed to have very little respect for authority, but he definitely knew how to wield it.

Val scowled at Scott.

"Just take his offer, Val. He'll only bug you about it and you'll eventually kick yourself for not accepting sooner."

"Fine, but if this falls through-"

"There will always be a place at the Institute for you." Scott assured her.

"Sweet!" Harry crowed, only for Lorna to appear next to her.

"Lorna, Val is joining us."

"Joining us, joining us?" She asked curiously.

"Huh?"

"Oh, never mind!" She backpedalled quickly. "So, is she powered up or…?"

"Not, yet, I'll do it tomorrow when I have some spare time. Just take her and give her the demo."

"Sure Harry." She smiled before hooking her arm in Val's elbow and vanishing.

"So what do we do now? Just wait for the next attack?" Scott asked morosely.

"Buck up, Scotty!"

Scott groaned, he was hoping Harry wouldn't try using that nickname.

"I am going to open the eyes of the world to the plight of the mutants." He grinned as he caused them both to vanish.

Jean was skipping down the stairs, heading for the kitchen. Emma had relieved her from monitoring Cerebro. She had been very insistent. It was about as close to an apology as she was going to get from Emma.

She was just pouring some coffee when she heard Emma practically scream into her mind.

"JEAN! SNIPER TARGETTING WALLFLOWER IN THE COURTYARD!"

Jean didn't wait, she simply flamed out and appeared between Laurie and the open space behind the Mansion just as the bullet was fired.

But she wasn't quick enough, the bullet penetrated her heart through her back, killing her instantly before bursting from her chest and crashing through Laurie's forehead blowing out the back of her skull in an explosion of gore.

Jean's last thoughts as she flamed where a scream of panic to Harry.

Harry and Scott teleported in to find Josh cradling a dead Laurie and a naked baby lying in a pile of ashes.

"Laurie! Laurie! Wake up!" Josh cried frantically.

Harry's eyes snapped around as Scott skidded to the floor and began checking over the body, there was no hope. Most of her brain was dripping out of the back of her head.

"Ah! You, get over here, Missy." Harry ordered to the air.

"Harry, she's gone." Scott said in despair.

"No, no, no, no!" Josh wailed.

"Nah, she's just having an out of body experience. Josh, would you try fixing up her body so I can put her back in?" Harry asked.

"Wha- What?"

"They don't call me Death for nothing ya know." Harry sighed and rolled his eyes. "Fine, look." Harry reached out and grabbed at the air before pouring magic through his hand. Scott and Josh looked on in wonder at a very scared looking Laurie Collins.

Scared and naked.

Laurie had her hands in strategic places but she was yelling at Harry… not that they could hear it.

"Sorry! Sorry!" Harry apologised as he focused and a replica of her skirt and sweater appeared on her ethereal self.

At this point Logan and Shiro came barrelling out of the Mansion followed by Dani, Lorna and Val."

"Oh my god." Val whispered as she took in the sight of Laurie's broken body.

"Ah, erm, Ladies, could you take Jean inside and take care of her. Treat her like a regular newborn.

"Logan, Shiro, the shot came from the hills track this person down, but do not apprehend them yet, just follow. I have a larger plan in the works that will end this today."

"Of course, Sensei." Shiro said with a quick bow before running off, Logan just grunted and followed.

"Wait, this is Jean?" Val asked disbelievingly.

"Yeah, she must have tried to take the bullet for Laurie but didn't understand that a bullet of this calibre would make it through several people before stopping."

"But she's a baby." Val stressed.

"Well, that's what happens when a Phoenix dies, it's reborn from its ashes." Harry said patronizingly. "Can we argue about this later? There's a newborn lying in the cold night air!"

Lorna winced at the realisation before darting forward and carefully scooping up the crying baby.

She and the other two ladies headed inside to try and calm the traumatised infant.

"Josh, whilst Laurie isn't going to get any deader, she definitely isn't getting any… alive… er."

"I-I-I… I've never done anything like this before."

"You've never tried either. Now seems like a decent time to experiment. Laurie's not going anywhere."

Josh looked at the ethereal image of Laurie, who was pantomiming something as she wasn't able to speak.

"What's she saying?" Josh asked.

Harry just snorted as Laurie threw up her hands in aggravation.

"Here's an idea, heal her body so you can ASK HER!" Harry shouted.

"Oh, right!" He placed his hands on Laurie's chest… which caused Laurie to start pantomiming, but Josh was too focused to notice, Harry tried not to laugh.

Scott, Harry and a disembodied Laurie watched as her body started to glow, the back of her head was hidden from view but the hole in her forehead sealed up. Eventually the glowing stopped.

"She's healed, I think her heart is beating." He said in wonder.

Scott nodded as he checked her pulse.

"How can her body be alive if she's not in it?" Josh asked.

"It's just a shell, without her soul in there it will never be more than a piece of meat."

Laurie started waving her hand through Harry as she tried to slap his shoulder.

"It's not my fault if it's true!" Harry said defensively. "Now get in there."

Scott and Josh could clearly see her mouth the word 'how'.

"Just lie down! I'll do the rest. You know, you are one of the more difficult patients I've had to deal with."

Laurie glared at him but stomped over to her body and began to lie down. Josh almost backed away at her aggressive demeanour.

"About bloody time." Harry muttered as he walked over and placed a hand on Laurie's chest, letting his magic flow into her.

Laurie suddenly breathed in deeply. Her eyes fluttered open. First she smiled happily at the three men, before frowning and then glaring at Harry and Josh.

"Why did you have to touch my chest?" She demanded.

"I-I-I-" If Josh could have blushed he would have.

"Because ya heart is behind ya left boob." Harry grinned.

This caused the two teenagers to blush, it also caused Laurie to realise she was still lying in Josh's lap.

Scott meanwhile was trying to remember when this was mentioned as part of his duties as a professor and X-Man. He was also fighting the urge to bash his head against the wall.

It didn't help, that Emma, who was watching through his eyes, was laughing her head off in his head.

"Right, now that Laurie is sorted, I need to put an end to all this crap. Josh, take Scott down to the Infirmary and fix his head. Have Dr. McCoy supervise. The idiot should have come to you ages ago."

"I thought-"

"Your visor is a liability. You could be more than twice as efficient in the field. Are you going to let your insecurities put the students at risk?" Harry interrupted Scott.

"Josh, you have your orders, Laurie, go and let everyone know you're alright."

Harry vanished leaving the trio behind.

"You heard him professor. Do as Professor Death orders." Laurie commanded.

"Professor Death?"

"Better than what Professor Logan calls you." She shrugged as she turned and marched off.

"Wait… what does Logan call me?"

*Chapter 8*: Chapter 8  
Chapter 8

Trish Tilby had just settled down into a nice hot bubble bath after a long and arduous day. Politicians were boring old letches and she desperately needed to wash the stench of their leers and corruption off of her.

She nearly drowned herself when Dr. Potter just appeared in her bathroom with no warning.

"Whoa! Easy there, I just had to bring one person back to life, not looking to make an encore." Harry laughed. He absently conjured a piece of plastic over the bath so only her head showed, giving her a modicum of decency.

"What are you doing here?!" She hissed angrily.

"I came to offer you the second biggest story of the year."

"You barged in here- "

"There was no barging, I just appeared!"

"Shut up! You barged in here, nearly cause me a heart attack and then you only offer me the second biggest story of the year?"

"Well, I'd already promised you the biggest story." Harry shrugged.

"You did?"

"I offered to let you interview me."

"How is that the biggest story of the year?"

"You don't think that the arrival of Death in this universe, on this planet, at this time is the biggest story of the year?"

She had to admit, when he put it like that…

"Why couldn't you have called during office hours?"

"Because the story is going down tonight and I thought you might want to grab a camera and have front row seats."

She instantly tried to sit up, only to remember she was naked.

"Out!" She snapped.

Trish was standing by a building across the road from Reverend Stryker's church. Harry had dropped her there with a camera and tripod from the Institute and told her to watch from there and that no one would see her. He also told her that she would witness a young Muslim woman get shot down in cold blood, but that she should not move or they would see her.

Then Harry had morphed into a completely different person with longer hair. She was worried for a second that she had been set up, but Harry had assured her he was still… Harry.

It was over ten minutes since Harry had entered the church, Trish was wondering how long this would take and just how much tape there was in the camera. But she could see a figure approach, dressed in black with face and hands covered. This must be the Muslin woman Harry warned her about. She began to realise just what Harry had told her, she would see a woman murdered in front of her!

Trish desperately wanted to warn the woman. She didn't know how Harry knew she was going to be gunned down, she didn't think Harry was going to be party to it, but she knew she couldn't just stand there and do nothing as the woman was killed.

"WAIT! TURN AROUND! RUN AWAY!" Trish began screaming and hollering, anything, but the woman didn't respond, she just kept walking. She ripped off her watch and tried to throw it at the woman to either get her attention or scare her off.

She received a nasty surprise when the watch bounced off an invisible shield and smacked her on the nose. As she held a hand to her bleeding face she realised that Harry had locked her here. She would be forced to watch this woman be mercilessly killed.

She began to cry as she watched, tears mixing with the blood flowing from her nose. The woman reached the steps of the church, the doors flung open and bullets started pounding into her defenceless body before she fell to the floor, dead.

Trish sank to her knees in defeat, she was startled as a huge red and gold bird arrived in a flash of flame and landed on the camera where it started to sing. Strangely she knew that it was the bird's song that made her feel better, if only slightly.

Her heart lurched as the sound of a gun being fired echoed from inside the building. Seconds later and a veritable thunderstorm of bullets sounded; and then stopped. She cried again, they must have killed Harry.

The red and gold bird sang still.

*BOOM*

The bird squawked in shock as the top of the church blew off and a huge white figure surrounded by a purple light shot out of the top with a huge dragon on it's tail.

Trish was no longer crying… she was too confused for that, especially as the dragon broke off pursuit and became Harry who landed next to her.

"You bastard!" She cried as she pounded his chest. "Why didn't you let me help her?"

"Because she didn't die." Harry told her softly as he waved a hand, healing her nose and cleaning her up. He gently led Trish to the site of the body as the bird landed on his shoulder. He had to pull her a bit as she was very reluctant, she'd seen her share of death and tragedy, but she'd just seen this woman gunned down in cold blood.

They arrived at the body, there was blood everywhere, it had pooled in a large circle beneath it, the body was riddled with holes.

Harry waved a hand and the body shimmered and vanished, taking all the blood and evidence with it.

"Why did you do that? The police need to see it!" She said angrily.

"It was a form of illusion. Did you really think I would let someone walk into a hail of gunfire? That 'Dr' in front of my name is not an honorary title you know."

"But what about the people who did the shooting… and that huge white thing that flew off… and how did you turn into a dragon?"

"Easy, calm down. The dragon is a natural form of mine. The white thing, I need to ask Scott about, and the shooters and Stryker are all dead."

"Dead?" She asked worriedly. "You were the one that shot them?"

"Er, no. They kept shooting me, kept calling me an 'abomination before God'. They were as evil as they come for humans."

"But… you just killed them, why didn't you capture them, they could be rehabilitated."

"Why?" Harry asked. "Why do they deserve to be rehabilitated… not that I believe they could be.

"Those men and women willingly killed a young girl in cold blood before your eyes. Earlier this evening they blew up a school bus full of innocent children heading home to their families, they used a sniper rifle to assassinate a lovely young lady who wouldn't hurt a fly and finally… Stryker put a bullet in my head because he thought I was a mutant.

"They made their choices, and they had to deal with the consequences. The consequence was death."

"But what gives you the right to decide who lives and who dies?"

Harry just smiled at her. "Ask me that question when you interview me in the next few days."

After dropping Trish back home, Harry returned to the Mansion and called for Scott to assemble his X-Men, this was going to be one long night.

"Ok, Stryker and his goons are dead, Trish Tilby recorded them trying to kill Sooraya in cold blood. But Stryker had this robot, it looked like this:"

Harry waved his hand and the image that appeared had several X-Men swearing.

"Where the hell did that idiot find Nimrod?" Logan growled, his claws flashing in and out in agitation.

"This is how you saw it?" Hank asked Harry as he examined the image.

"Exact replication from memory."

"It is damaged. If we can find it quickly we will have a better chance."

"Better move quick then, this thing was talking about getting repaired when it lit out of the church. Even worse news is that it has some sort of shield that deflected my magic, plus it was strong enough to escape my dragon form."

"But-But you took out Apocalypse with a single swipe!" Lorna said worriedly.

"I didn't think anything could stop your magic." Emma frowned.

"No, I have weaknesses. Always remember that I am a powerful human, not a weak god. The only thing I can't do is die. My body can be destroyed, but you have to keep destroying it as it keeps reforming. My magic can be counteracted, specifically by raw electricity, Nori is on my list to offer magic to, it might stabilise her powers… or make her explode… it's all good." Harry smiled reassuringly.

"Do you know where Nimrod was heading?" Scott asked, choosing to ignore Harry's threats of making his students explode.

"Not a clue." Harry sighed.

"Can we track it?"

"Ororo is not gonna be happy." Logan muttered.

"Ah, your wedding plans!" Harry said in realisation. "Lorna, Dani, you ever been to… erm, where was it?"

"Wakanda." Scott supplied.

"Right, you been there?"

Both women shook their heads.

"Ok, can either of you fly the jets?"

Again they shook their heads.

"Ok, no problem. If someone flies you over there now, then once we have sorted out this Nimrod thingy I can teleport the rest of you straight there. Hell, ask Ororo if she would like the rest of the school there, they could use a getaway."

"Are we really all needed to deal with Nimrod?" Emma asked.

"You really want to take the risk that this thing can get away and cause more havoc?" Harry countered.

"Ok, I'll go to Cerebro, see if I can't pick up any stray thoughts regarding a large white flying robot." She muttered as she marched out.

"I will endeavour to track whatever energy trail might have-" Hank was interrupted by a knock on the door.

Rogue turned around and opened it to find Ms. Marvel standing there in her costume. "Carol?"

"Er… hi guys. Crisis time?" She asked worriedly as she took in the large collection of senior X-Men.

"You could say that, Cher." Gambit smirked.

"Is she a heavy weight? We could use another heavy weight." Harry whispered far too loudly to Hank.

"Very heavy." Hank muttered.

"I beg your pardon?" Carol demanded.

"Damn it Harry!" Hank muttered.

"I was asking if you were a heavy hitter, powerful."

"Oh… why?"

"Big nasty robot out to kill all mutants, needs its arse kicked."

"But you worked with me already."

Hank turned to Harry with a look of betrayal. "You bastard! You set me up!"

Harry just grinned smugly.

"I… erm… we, Iron Man and I, were, erm, called to a local church by the police. Lot's of dead people. Including the Reverend William Stryker. We found DNA from a known mutant, Icarus."

"Yeah, I killed Stryker and his goons. They kept trying to kill me and all the mutants. Nearly succeeded with Laurie."

Carol just stared at him.

Harry stared back.

The X-Men shuffled nervously.

Everyone was saved from responding by the door bursting open to reveal Noriko Ashida standing there in a t-shirt and panties cradling her special metal gloves.

"Forge… in trouble!" She panted, out of breath.

"What?" Harry asked.

Gambit hastily removed his coat and wrapped it around her. He might be a bit of a ladies man and a scoundrel, but there was a line. Under-aged girls were on the wrong side of it.

"Look!" She marched to the desk and placed the gloves on the table. Hovering above the palms was an image of Forge and Nimrod.

"Erm, you know how to find him?" Harry asked Scott.

"I'll do you one better, I know where he lives, I'll go there and you can follow." Lorna smiled.

"Great." He turned to Carol. "You get Iron Man to meet us here and Dani can bring him over with the rest." Harry ordered.

"Wait just a minute! I didn't come here to get involved in a fight-"

"Are you a hero?"

"I am."

"Then act like one. Everyone, get yourselves ready. Dani, start putting the kids down below, just in case."

"I'll see if MJ can help out. She'd love to see Jean." She snickered as she walked off pulling her phone out.

"Everyone back here in five."

As everyone filed out Harry turned to Lorna. "Take me to this Forge guy. I'll try and hold the line till you get everyone else there."

"Analysis: Identity unknown.

"Mutant signature: Not detected.

"Threat assessment: Minimal.

"The Maker will disregard and continue repairs to this unit."

"Did he just call me… insignificant?" Harry asked, somewhat insulted by the assessment the white robot had given of him.

"Kid, trust me, run, whilst you still can." Forge prompted, he was sweating and panicking and praying that the X-Men got his message.

"But I just got here!" Harry protested. "Oi! Nimrod. Perhaps you remember me looking like this?" Harry morphed into Icarus.

"Reassessing…

"Threat level: High

"Abort all activities and terminate."

"Now that's more like it!" Harry grinned as he clapped his hands together gleefully. "You know, it's been awhile since anybody could take me on."

Harry waved his hand at the ceiling causing it to vanish before he floated up.

"Well? Let's do this up here, unless you were programmed to accept unnecessary collateral damage."

"Assessing challenge…

"Assessing environment…

"Assessing target…

"Scenario accepted. Moving to civilian safe combat zone"

With that Nimrod floated up out of the building to face Harry.

"Now, I have- OW! Can't we chat first?" Harry asked as he was hit by a blast of purplish/pink energy. It definitely hurt.

"Discourse is futile. You are not the maker."

"No, but I am the ender."

"Designation entered into database."

"Wait… what? No, my name is Harry Potter aka Death aka The Master of Magic."

"Database updated.

"Cross-referencing with 'Sorcerer Supreme'.

"Connection not found."

"I'm new to this universe."

"Database updated."

"Yeah, can you stop saying that." Harry rolled his eyes. "Now, are you going to stop trying to kill mutants?"

"Negative. Primary directive is still active."

"Under what circumstances would your 'primary directive' become 'inactive'?" Harry asked with finger quotes.

Meanwhile, the X-Men had arrived on the scene via Lorna and Dani.

"Cher, is 'Arry…. Talking to de robot?" Gambit asked slightly befuddled.

Rogue just chuckled. "Looks like, Sugar."

"Mutant signatures detected.

"Threat level: High.

"Initiating termination procedures."

"Wait! You didn't answer my question!" Harry shouted, but Nimrod clearly wasn't interested in a philosophical debate. Nimrod had charged it's weapons and was bearing down on the X-Men.

"If you fight them down there you'll hurt Forge!"

Surprisingly this brought Nimrod up short.

"Being designated 'Harry Potter' will remove The Maker from the battlefield."

"Answer my previous question first." Harry challenged.

"Prime directive becomes inactive when mutant infestation is eradicated."

"Excellent! Ok let me get Forge out of the way."

The X-Men watched in horror as Harry cheerfully flew down next to Forge.

"Try and get him into the building, as deep as you can." Harry whispered to Scott. He then grabbed Forge and flew up.

"Are you nuts? We can't just leave them down there!" Forge argued.

"Oh relax, they can hold him off till I'm finished. Now stay here."

Forge screamed as Harry let go of him.

He then stopped screaming and looked around.

He wasn't falling. Actually, he couldn't move from where he was. He turned to ask what was going on only to find the kid was gone.

Forge spent a good few seconds cursing up a storm before deciding to enjoy the show as best he could.

Back in the building the X-Men were showing just what good teamwork was about. Whilst the heavy hitters like Cyclops and Rogue pounded Nimrod with all they had, Beast and Nightcrawler bounced around the cramped battlefield, repositioning people when they became targeted.

Things became a lot dicier when a large group of the students turned up via Sofia, Kevin and David and began pounding on Nimrod.

"Surge, what the hell are you doing here?" Cyclops demanded as he slid to a halt behind the cover she was using.

"My friend was in trouble! I was not going to sit back and hope you succeeded against something that kicked your ass before." She hissed before leaning over and firing a burst.

"We will discuss this later. For now stay behind cover as best you can. Do not approach to engage in phys-"

"Too late." She winced as she saw both Mercury and Rockslide charge in with X-23 hot on their tails.

"God dammit!"

"Initiating protocol: Overrun."

Nimrod seemed to curl up into a ball and began to glow.

"EVERYONE BACK AWAY AND TAKE COVER!" Scott screamed.

Nightcrawler and Beast began moving quickly, depositing X-Men and New Mutants outside the building or as far away as possible. They were soon backed up by Lorna, Sofia, David and Kevin who could teleport more people at a time and further than Nightcrawler could.

Five seconds later an explosion emanated from Nimrod that literally blew the building apart sending the remaining X-Men and New Mutants flying through the window. The teleporters didn't stop as they began plucking the falling mutants from the air and depositing them on the ground.

"TRIAGE!" Scott shouted. "Get the injured back to the Institute and have Elixir deal with them."

"For god's sake! All you had to do was keep him in the building!" Harry ranted as he floated down. His clothes were barely there having been severely damaged in the blast, what was left was on fire or smoking. "And what the hell are the kids doing here?"

"We came to help!" Noriko shouted back as she stepped up and began patting Harry's clothes down in an attempt to put out the small fires.

"You-"

"This is our fight too!" She argued before he could begin.

Harry was completely stopped by Fawkes appearing and giving him a sharp peck on the head.

"Ow!"

Fawkes looked him in the eye as he hovered in front of Harry.

Eventually Harry sighed in defeat.

"Fine, we'll discuss this later. Now what happened that caused that explosion, did you manage to defeat Nimrod?"

"No, several individuals charged Nimrod for physical combat, when he was about to be over run he initiated countermeasures which destroyed the area, like a firewall." Scott answered.

"So he's not dea-" *BOOM* "Never mind."

"Recommencing termination procedures."

"Alright, keep him busy as best you can, I need to find somewhere else to contain him. I'll be back as soon as I can." Harry vanished leaving the mutants to scatter as Nimrod resumed his attack.

Harry rushed into the air. He needed to find either a big container or a small building. He was a little worried. Not for himself, but for the others, Nimrod was a new experience for him. He hadn't experienced a challenging fight since Tom Riddle. He'd encountered other challenges, but not like this, not in a fight.

He eventually came across a large freight train in a train yard. It was perfect, he swept down and phased inside each shipping container until he reached one that was empty, and then he got to work.

Santo was down, obliterated by a missile he took for Cyclops. Cyclops was proud of his students, they hadn't hesitated they had just upped their attack. But he knew they would be hurting and it would hit them hard later. Especially himself.

Wolverine had gone completely berserk as X-23 was practically burnt to a cinder, she wasn't healing properly, and Cyclops hated to think what that meant.

In the meantime he and the other long-range combatants where hammering away at Nimrod, but Nimrod was smart, it would focus on one target at a time ignoring the others. Which was really annoying as so far only X-23 and Wolverine could get past it's shielding and armour. Both of who were out for the count.

Nobody was trying to get closer anymore; even Rogue was making strafing runs as she used the abilities she acquired from Sunfire.

What was worse was the news and police helicopters closing in. They had kept a reasonable distance before now but as the battle had remained contained for the past ten minutes they had gotten braver.

Running through Cyclops' mind were two questions: One, how long would Harry take. Two, where the hell was the O*N*E?

Question one was answered when in all the smoke, fire and energy rays, the target just seemed to vanish.

As everyone seemed to cease fire and the smoke cleared they saw that in place of Nimrod was a large shipping container standing on it's end in mid-air, closer inspection showed Harry standing calmly on top of the floating object.

Slowly Harry lowered it to the ground and jumped off landing next to Scott.

"Mission accomplished."

"How, exactly?" Cyclops asked.

"You reme-"

"FREEZE! PUT YOUR HANDS IN THE AIR!"

The mutants all turned to face the voice to find several armed policemen standing there with guns pointing at them along with a crowd of civilians and reporters.

"Why?" Harry asked. "What crime are we being accused of?"

"We all saw what you did." The policeman stated firmly, although clearly nervous.

"Good, so now you can tell us why you are trying to arrest us for defending ourselves from something that was trying to kill us. How about you explain where you were whilst we were being killed."

"Harry, that's the thing, Laura, she isn't healing, we might lose her." Scott said worriedly. "Also, I think Santo might be gone as well."

Harry vanished on the spot, appearing next to a very badly burned Laura.

"Dammit Laura, I said distract him, not get killed by him!" Harry muttered as he placed a hand on her chest and focused. Everyone including the cops, reporters and civilians watched in awe as the young woman's body began to heal before their eyes and cameras.

"Hi!" She told Harry with a small, yet bright smile.

"What have we learned?" Harry asked sternly, but with a smile.

"Harry can heal anything."

Harry sighed. "It's a start."

"Good, think ya could give me a boost then, healing on my own sucks." A badly burnt Logan grunted.

As Harry moved to heal Logan, Rogue quickly shed her long coat and placed it around Laura's practically naked body.

Harry moved over to where a crying Cessily was kneeling over a mound of rubble.

"Don't cry Cessily, Santo wouldn't like that."

"Yeah, it makes me sad when you cry, Cess'."

"Santo!" Cessily scrambled to her feet and skidded over to where most of Santo's intact face was lying.

"Erm… has anybody seen… ya know… my body?" He asked worriedly.

"Your 'body' is everywhere. Now focus and pull yourself together." Harry ordered.

Cessily scowled at him for being so inconsiderate.

"Hurry up kid, we gotta get back, I wanna get some sleep." Logan griped.

"Harry, Emma is asking me to remind you that Forge is screaming his lungs off up there, he is also attracting the attention of the press and cops, the cops seem to be getting itchy trigger fingers." Scott informed him.

"Oops." Harry clicked his fingers and Forge appeared next to him.

"I think I hate you." Forge groused.

"Jeeze, ya save a guys life!"

"And left me up there as a laughing stock!"

"Well forgive me for making sure that the single minded, mutant killing machine was neutralised and that Laura wasn't going to die!"

"I would have preferred death." Forge mumbled. "What the hell did you do to keep him contained in this thing?"

"It's hard to explain. I'll have to show you later."

"Scott, we've got O*N*E inbound." Rogue called out.

"Magicals, start teleporting everyone else home and stay there. Scott and I will handle clean up."

"Scott, mind if I crash at the Mansion?" Forge asked as he indicated the demolished building that was once his home.

"Sure Forge, just go and join the kids, they'll get you back."

"Stop! Stay where you are! You are all under arrest!" The cop was still shouting and waving his gun about, changing targets as his current ones disappeared.

"Shouldn't you do something about him?" Scott asked. The cop was getting antsy and Scott was worried he might start firing, that would likely cause a chain reaction amongst the other cops. Not all mutants were bullet proof.

"Already have." Harry smirked.

Scott hated that smirk.

Usually that smirk meant that Harry had done something that, whilst neutralising the threat, would give Harry a laugh.

Scott would never admit it, but he would laugh later in private… or smile widely.

Still, someone needed to calm the cop down. He moved to talk to the cop, raising a hand to remove his visor. It was something he had never been able to do before; make eye contact.

Unfortunately, the cop saw this as an aggressive act and fired his gun.

There was a loud bang, and the cop was covered in blue jelly. His skin was now the same colour as the jelly.

Scott's head snapped round to look at Harry with a glare.

"You could be covered in red blood and be dead." Harry shrugged, still smiling.

At this point the Sentinels had landed along with several helicopters.

Harry was surprised to see General Lazer jump from the lead helicopter, but understood when he saw it was not a human but some form of robot.

"Gentlemen, the O*N*E will be taking possession of the Nimrod unit." The General said smugly.

"Good luck with that." Harry smirked rising up and down on the balls of his feet.

The General just sneered at him. "I thought you threatened me with something?"

"You are not General Lazer. Not really. You are some kind of remote controlled robot."

"An LMD? Life Model Decoy?" Scott asked.

"No idea. I just know that I can't see his soul, but I can see a whole lot of circuitry."

This seemed to piss Lazer off. He had been hoping that Potter would carry out his threat in front of all the press, he could arrest him for attempted murder. He hadn't thought that he could tell it was an LMD.

"Men, hook up the container." Lazer snapped.

Harry had that same smile and Scott took a step back, just in case, as the O*N*E personnel moved forward with chains.

A few seconds later one of the men hurried over.

"Sir, we're ready to proceed."

"Are you really going to let them take it? You know they will just turn it lose on us."

"What do you think?"

"Right, instead of telling them no, you are going to watch as they make fools of themselves." Scott muttered.

"Nah, it's late. I want to sleep. I have a ton of people to magic up tomorrow and a worldwide interview to give. We can catch the highlights on the news."

Scott was a little disappointed when Harry teleported them out. He was curious to see what was going to happen, he missed the slight wave of Harry's hand.

The following morning every TV in the Mansion was tuned to the national news as it replayed not only the events of the previous night but the current situation where the O*N*E was still trying to cart away the shipping container. No matter what they did they couldn't move it. So far they were on their third try and had moved up to using three helicopters at once. The previous two had suffered badly as they burnt out their engines in mid air, although the second attempt saw the bottom of the chopper ripped away.

Harry explained that he had hidden the real container deep in the heart of the Earth's core where Apocalypse's ship was burning up. Although he had cast an Impervious charm on it. In order to keep Nimrod contained he had cast the Fidelius charm on the inside of the container. As far as Nimrod was concerned there was no world beyond the walls of his new home. And as there were no mutants in the container, Nimrod would hopefully deactivate.

Harry assembled the students in the auditorium to talk to them again.

"I was born to a mortal human couple. Apparently I was born the Master of Magic, I didn't become Death until I was about fifteen.

"Before I was born, a prophecy was made about me and a Dark Lord. He was terrorising the country at the time and discriminating against non-magicals, much like humans discriminate against mutants.

"When I was about one and a half, the Dark Lord came to my home and killed my parents, I can actually remember my mother dying in front of me as she begged for my life.

"My status as the Master of Magic meant that the spell he used combined with my mother's sacrifice backfired and destroyed his body.

"When I was eleven, the Dark Lord started to come after me again, I didn't defeat him until I became Death.

"But my point is this: I have been fighting for my life since I was younger than all of you. As was pointed out to me last night, this is your life and you have the right to fight for it as well. So I will be supporting any and all training routines that Headmistress Frost and Headmaster Summers arrange. Participation in any field work will be voluntary, anyone wishing to hide in safety will be allowed to and not be judged, especially as the X-Men and I can probably handle it by ourselves.

"Julian, up here please."

Julian frowned, how could he be in more trouble? He got up warily and headed to the stage.

"If you are going to defend yourself you need all the help you can get." Harry said as he placed a glowing hand on his shoulder. "I've reactivated your power, the rest of your punishments still stand though."

Julian sighed in relief, but remained serious.

"One last question." Harry said, still addressing Julian but speaking loud enough for everyone to hear. "I believe in having every advantage you can get. Would you accept the gift of magic like Sophia, Kevin and Leech? There is no catch, but they do not give you the right to circumvent the laws and rules of the land."

"You mean teleport, phase and create stuff?" He asked with a frown.

"And much, much more."

"Erm, hell yes!" He said enthusiastically causing the teachers to groan and the kids to laugh.

Harry just smiled. "Everyone who wants to do magic, line up behind Julian, no pushing and teachers last!" He called out.

There was a sudden stampede as they all lined up. Lorna grabbed a reluctant Emma and Scott by the elbows and frog-marched them to the end of the line.

As Harry finished each magical upgrade he told them to try and teleport to Dani who was currently in Wakanda with Remy. Lorna kept an open line with Dani in case they went missing, but it was simple to do and Dani was a well loved member of staff that they easily found their way… if it was Logan they had to teleport to… there was no telling where they would have ended up hiding away.

Emma and Scott were the last, as soon as Scott was finished he stood aside to watch Emma go through it.

"Ah Emma. Once again your breasts and I come together." Harry smirked.

"Different set of breasts I believe, darling." She smirked. "Although Scott did notice the difference."

Scott was conflicted, he didn't know whether he should be upset that Harry was playing with his girlfriend's breasts or embarrassed that they were discussing him and his attention to detail regarding his girlfriend's breasts.

"Scott, dear, your face is turning the colour of your lasers." She clucked. "Such a prude." She sighed.

"Makes me wonder how copes with how you dress."

"We used to be enemies, back then I wore a lot less. He's had plenty of time to get used to my body in public."

"And private I guess."

"Absolutely."

"Can we move this along." Scott croaked nervously.

"Well, we're all done here. You two can head off for the wedding, pass my congratulations on to Miss Monroe and her fiancé."

"You're not coming?" Scott asked.

"No, I don't want to party crash, I also have things I need to do, I owe Trish that interview and I want to start layering some protections on this place."

Emma and Scott decided to leave Harry to it. They realised they couldn't really stop him but he would definitely respect their wishes.

This meant Harry was alone in the house, he started putting all the protections on the house he could think of short of a Fidelius, pretty much replicating Hogwarts.

He had decided to approach Trish for the interview around 6pm, more people would be watching.

At nearly 4pm there was someone at the front door, so Harry decided to answer it.

"Miss Danver's. What can I do for you and your friend?" Harry asked tightly as he greeted her and Iron Man at the front doors.

"We need to ask you, Scott and Emma some questions about last night." Carol said.

"Everyone else is out for a few days. I'm the only one here."

"Then we can talk to you." Iron Man stated firmly as he barged passed.

"Lovely manners you have there." Harry spat. He was pissed at them, they hadn't helped out yesterday at all.

"You claim you killed those people at the church last night, including Stryker." Iron Man stated, ignoring Harry's tone.

"Yes, they were trying to kill me and the students but no one was defending us."

"What gives you the right to kill civilians?"

"They were terrorists and genocidal maniacs. The right was given to me by who ever gave me my abilities."

"Did you go there with the intent to kill?" Carol asked.

Harry considered that for a moment. "No, I went with the intent to remove a threat, but when I saw that imprisonment wouldn't work I took more permanent action."

"But why not turn them over to the O*N*E?"

"Because the O*N*E has proven themselves to be biased against mutants. They would only release Stryker later."

"You have proof?" Iron Man asked.

"I have witnesses and testimonies and circumstances that amount to incontrovertible proof."

"But no physical evidence? No recordings or documentation?"

"I can have them provided if you want." Harry shrugged.

"We will have to report this to the authorities. You may find yourself taken into custody pending a trial."

"Do what you want, I have a job to do. I won't be letting anyone interfere with that job."

"What job is that, Mr. Potter?"

Harry really didn't like his attitude. "Well, Tony, I was specifically asked to come to this universe to help mutants and bring about equality for mutants and end their persecution. Other than that I am the Master of Magic, it is my job to ensure that magic isn't abused or doesn't run amok, like that annoying little incident with a colleague of yours wiping out millions of mutant powers.

"I am also Death. I stop people from cheating death without cause and messing with souls."

"So, you're a delusional mutant." Iron Man nodded thoughtfully.

"And you're a dick." Harry rolled his eyes. "You've seen me work, you saw me send the souls of Genosha on."

"Harry? Scott? Lorna? Anybody home?" Came a familiar female voice.

"In here MJ." Harry called out.

"Oh, erm… is this a bad time?" She asked as she nervously took in the two superheroes. She had brought Jean to visit as she had offered to babysit till she grew up.

"Probably, but I could use a break from Mister Ego over here." Harry said as he skipped over. "Hello Jeanie? Have fun with MJ?"

The little baby gurgled happily.

"She really doesn't remember anything?" MJ asked curiously.

"Nah, she doesn't have a brain capable of doing much more than small physical feats." Harry said as he took Jean from MJ.

"Is he safe to be around babies?" Carol asked worriedly.

"Harry?!" MJ just laughed. "Harry has been in this universe less than a month and he already has a fan club, I am a very proud member of that club, so is Peter. Now, what are you doing that would annoy Harry? It's pretty difficult to rile him up."

"You are aware that he killed several people in a church the other day?" Tony questioned.

"What? Why would you do that?" She asked in shock.

"Why don't you tell her who I killed and why I killed them?" Harry asked with a smirk.

"The Reverend Stryker and his fo-"

"Oh that! Yeah, Harry told us all about that. They definitely got what they were asking for." She said with an angry scowl.

Carol was no longer paying much attention to MJ and Tony, she was more interested in Harry and the baby, Harry had conjured a complete baby play centre out of nothing.

"How did you do that?" She asked in awe.

"Magic." He grinned.

"He killed them in cold blood!" Iron Man argued.

"You really believe that? You have proof I did?"

"I was at the scene myself, there was no evidence of any gunfire or bullets or weapons. Just a lot of dead bodies with their heads cut off."

"Wait… heads cut off?" Harry stopped and frowned. "I didn't cut anyone's head off… was there any blood, what were the wounds like?"

"There was plenty of blood, the knife wounds where similar to a butcher's knife. It was disgusting." Tony spat.

Harry conjured four comfortable chairs in there in the lobby for them. "Yeah, that is disgusting. It definitely wasn't me though, I did kill them, but I did it painlessly and didn't leave a mark. If I did cut off their heads there wouldn't be any blood, my blade cauterises the wound."

"You use a superheated blade?" Tony asked curiously.

"He has a lightsaber." MJ grinned. "Lorna told me." She explained at Harry's curious look.

"As in-"

Carol was interrupted by the appearance of the green coloured blade.

"It really was a lightsabre." Carol said in awe as she realised this was the weapon Harry had used against Xorn.

"Can you provide any other proof that you didn't behead the men?" Tony asked. He was still standing, he was on duty and Harry was a suspect, regardless of what Mary Jane thought of him.

"I could show you my memories." Harry waved a hand and the scene appeared on the wall nearby.

"You're claiming that you are a shape-shifter who can become a dragon and is impossible to kill?" Tony scoffed when the memory finished.

"You tell me?" Harry asked as he turned into a replica of Icarus, then turned into Tony, he then turned back into himself. "I am not showing you my dragon form in front of Jean, she doesn't like it, besides you saw it the other day, but feel free to try and kill me."

"You want us to just- OH MY GOD!" Carol screamed as a blade suddenly appeared through Harry's chest.

"Did I get the heart?" Mary Jane asked gleefully.

Harry just looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "You didn't have to do that, MJ." He said softly.

"Somebody had to. Tony is being downright rude and disrespectful. Dr. Strange himself has vouched for you." She said, her happy smile began to fade and a tear slid down her cheek.

Harry vanished the blade and pulled her into a hug. "Don't worry, didn't hurt a bit, you could have tried to chop my head off and it wouldn't have worked."

"I believe I have answered your questions. Unless you can actually prove I did commit those crimes, we have nothing else to discuss."

"There is one last thing, we need your details for the Superhuman Registration Act." Tony said stiffly. He was not going to be dismissed.

"What's that?"

"They want all super-humans to register and reveal their secret identities." MJ scowled lightly. "Tony tricked Peter into a blood oath to support him."

"Why the sudden interest in people's identities?" Harry asked curiously.

"Due to recent events where a group of superheroes caused the deaths of a lot of young children, the public wants to know who they are entrusting their lives to and that they will be held accountable." Iron Man stated.

"That's what the O*N*E was set up for, right?"

"The O*N*E was set up to handle mutant issues."

"Not according to the mandate I read."

Tony did not like having to keep defending himself, he was Tony Stark, Iron Man. People generally respected him simply because of his work and experience. Provided they overlooked his more extravagant playboy billionaire adventures.

"Regardless, this is the way it is, now, are you going to sign up peacefully or are we going to have to arrest you?"

"I'm not signing up, anyone can come to me for protection. Let Peter know that." He told MJ.

"Thanks Harry." She said as she kissed his cheek and walked over to Jean.

"Now I've had enough from you. You don't have any right to make demands of me, no evidence to accuse me of the crimes you say I committed and on top of that, you willingly neglected a call for help last night that nearly left two teenagers dead. Or did you not see the mutants having to defend themselves from Nimrod?"

"Mutant affairs are not within the Avengers domain." It was like Tony was reading from a manual or handbook.

"Get out. And you had better not be the ones to come begging me for help when you need it. I suggest sending Peter or Captain America. He seemed like a pretty decent person."

"Captain America is a fugitive from the government and you are obligated to report any encounters you may have with him to the authorities." Tony scowled.

"Sure, I'll get right on that." Harry said sarcastically.

"Hey Harry, MJ, Carol and Tony… erm Hi." Dani said weakly as she teleported in with a statuesque woman of African decent with snow-white hair. "This is Ororo Monroe, the new Queen of Wakanda, Ororo, this is Harry Potter, the Master of Magic."

Harry smiled and walked forward offering his hand to the new Queen. "A pleasure your Highness, and may I say congratulations on your nuptials."

"Thank you Mr. Potter." Ororo smiled. "My friends, the X-Men, where telling me of all the wonderful things you have done for them, including making them magicals. I expressed my desire to meet you and Danielle offered to bring me over. Seeing you here with Mary Jane Parker, I would like to invite you both to my wedding reception. As you know, Mary Jane is a friend, but we can't advertise that due to the connections that may be drawn. Perhaps you could stand in as her escort?"

"I'd be honoured, Your Majesty." Harry said with a slight bow. He waved his hand and transformed his jeans and t-shirt into a suit a second wave saw Mary Jane in an outfit that would make any man drool.

Mary Jane's eyes widened in shock and she sidled up to Harry and whispered in his ear. "Where's my underwear?"

"You won't need any." Harry whispered back.

Mary Jane blushed. "Harry!"

"Just think of the fun you can have when you meet a certain arachnid and tell him about your wardrobe malfunction. That costume doesn't have much give." Harry whispered with grin.

Mary Jane couldn't help but giggle. "You are evil!"

"Only when I need to be." Harry said at normal levels. He walked over and picked up Jean transfiguring her baby clothes into a cute little dress. "I hear you are well acquainted with Jean Grey?" He asked Ororo.

"She's shorter than I remember." She said dryly.

"Cuter too." Carol blushed when Tony scowled in her direction, the others just laughed.

"Are you sure you won't join us?" Ororo asked Tony and Carol.

"Thank you, Ororo but we should stay and keep an eye on things here." Tony declined politely. "But I wish you all the best."

*Chapter 9*: Chapter 9  
Chapter 9

As enjoyable as the reception was, Harry had to leave but before he did he approached the bride and groom who were conversing with the X-Men and students.

"I would like to give you something both before you head off, I've been making magicals out of the mutants, you two are clearly trusted by them, so I'm offering the same to you."

"You are willing to hand out these powers so freely?" T'Challa frowned.

"Magic isn't something that is meant to elevate one person above another, or instil a level of responsibility beyond the norms. Magic is a natural element that is in us all. We should all be able to access it… like reading and writing."

"But what about those that abuse their powers?"

"I can take away their powers, but they are still subject to the same laws of the land, no murdering, stealing, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera.

"My goal is to have every newborn baby be a naturally born magical within the next thousand years."

"And you will be around to deal with people getting out of hand?" T'Challa asked in his deep bass.

"I've been around for over fifteen million years. If I could die, I would have done it by now.

"So? Can I get you magic'd up?" Harry asked as he rubbed his hands together in anticipation.

T'Challa, as any good husband would do, looked to Ororo. Ororo looked to the rest of the X-Men and mutants.

"Hurry up and get it done, there's more party and cake waiting!" Bobby groused. Which of course earned him two bruised shins, two bruised arms and sore head. It didn't help that Logan's metal infused hand had been the one to hit his head.

"Very well, we accept your offer." T'Challa said with a smile.

"Excellent!" Harry stepped forward and placed a hand on the large man's chest and began to glow. Meanwhile Laurie had stepped forward and was whispering in Ororo's ear, whatever she said caused Ororo to smirk.

When Ororo stepped forward after Harry was finished with T'Challa, Scott quickly stepped forward at the prompting of Laurie to whisper in T'Challa's ear. T'Challa however frowned and growled slightly. Causing Scott to whisper harsher and slightly more anxiously.

"For the record, I apologise about the hands, it's just the chest is the best place for your core."

"Do not worry, my husband is being warned." Ororo smirked.

"Yeah, but Scott's not doing a good job." Harry stage-whispered back. "T'Challa, come and watch what I'm doing." Harry called out to the agitated newly wed.

He tried not to growl, he really did, but this young man was touching his wife in places that no man but he had a right to.

"I once tried putting a core in someone's head. It nearly drove them insane, they were able to see magic like I can. But they weren't able to interpret what they saw, they were jumping at everything as the magic in the world flows independently of the rest of the natural world. I had to remove it and replace it later. My adopted father is the only one I know who had a core in his head, but he couldn't see magic like I can."

Harry's lecture had had the desired effect of distracting T'Challa whilst he finished with Ororo.

"And we're done. I now pronounce you Wizard and Witch." T'Challa's eyes shot straight to Harry. "Which are the correct terms for male and female magicals." He explained hastily.

T'Challa just grunted in grudging acceptance.

T'Challa and Storm were supposed to be heading off on their honeymoon, but Mary Jane told them that they should stick around and watch Harry's interview with them. So there they were with a huge TV and everyone from Leech on Ororo's lap to Dr. Strange and a glass of brandy.

A hushed silence fell as Trish Tilby appeared on screen.

"A few weeks ago, soon after the events of M-Day, I was asked to bear witness to certain events at the Sanctuary set up by the X-Men for the remaining mutants. I am not permitted to speak of those events due to a gag order, but I met someone who made some rather intriguing claims.

"I'd like to introduce Dr. Harry Potter, who claims to be Death and the Master of Magic.

"Good evening, Dr. Potter."

"Good evening Miss Tilby." Harry returned with a bright smile.

"So, can you tell us what you mean when you say you are 'Death'?" Trish asked with air-quotes.

"I am the personification of Death, there is nothing living that I can't kill. That said, I am capable of staving off death and bringing the recently deceased back to life if they haven't crossed over yet."

"Are you saying that you are the figure spoken of in literature? Are you the biblical Angel of Death?"

"Definitely not the second one!" Harry laughed. "I only came to this world on M-Day, I am… ancient, but I'm also new in town… this one at least."

"Then, will we see you when it is our time to die?"

"Not unless you are trying to cheat death without cause or with complete disregard for innocent people. My duty is to ensure that people don't needlessly die, more than it is to make sure people do die. Think of your most evil villains, the ones who have killed countless people, those are the ones I am here to kill, by killing them, I save countless more lives."

"So… unless we start becoming unkillable mass-murderers we should never meet you?"

"That depends, my other gifts lean more towards healing, but sometimes death is the ultimate form of healing. But I will only ever offer death, not force it on the innocent, it will be your choice to accept, provided it is not your time."

"Can you tell us, is there an afterlife?"

"Yes. I have proof of the afterlife but I can never go there myself so I can't describe it. For some reason, being Death makes me completely invulnerable."

"What gives you the right to kill these people?" Trish asked, but there was no malice in the question. Just another on the list, she needed to be completely professional.

Harry paused and considered how to answer this. Eventually he answered. "I don't know."

Trish frowned, but he continued.

"The most powerful beings I know of are the Phoenixes. They are creatures of the light, of goodness and purity. They act as guardians and comforters of various universes, they tell me that they see me as their superior."

"Their boss?"

"No, more like… how royalty is superior to the commoner. Bearing in mind I am British born." Harry explained.

"But not this Britain, how long ago were you born?" Trish asked curiously.

"Right… this is hard to understand and even harder to explain." Harry said as he sat forward. "In my universe, I was born on July 31st 1980, but then I lived for over 15 million years. My friends, the Phoenixes saw that I was lonely and that this world was in crisis, so they offered me something I couldn't do for myself, they transported me to this world and this time to help with the crisis."

"What crisis would that be?"

"The persecution of mutants." Harry said matter-of-factly.

"You believe their treatment warrants the intervention of 'Death'?" Trish asked with air-quotes.

"It's not 'Death' that was requested to intervene." Harry smiled as he returned the quotes. "'Harry' was requested." As Trish was about to question him Harry continued. "Allow me to explain.

"When I was a child, my universe was divided into two groups of people. The magicals and the non-magicals. The magicals lived in secret, hidden from the rest of the world, they were the clear minority. The reason for this is the persecution they received during the witch trials and burnings.

"Unfortunately, this meant that non-magicals were not allowed access to magical advantages such as medical aid and defence. My title of 'Doctor' is medical, I have been trained in thousands of years of medicine, although to be honest I created a majority of the techniques.

"I spent the first one hundred years of my life making magicals out of non-magicals and developing ways for non-magicals to gain access to magical advantages. By the time we magicals were revealed, non-magicals had no reason to fear us… beyond irrational hatred.

"My experience in dealing with small groups of endangered people or persecuted people is the reason I was requested to come to and aid mutants."

"Do you have any proof of this? Of your experience, your power, any of it?" Trish asked, there was a hint of scepticism.

"Of my experience? None that doesn't rely on my word and the acceptance of my personal integrity. Of my power…" Harry chuckled. "I can give numerous demonstrations of my powers, but I'm not going to. People don't need to see me kill but if they pay enough attention over the next few decades they will notice a gradual increase in people capable of using magic and the distribution of certain magical defences."

"Defences?" Trish asked with a frown. "Are we talking weapons?"

"No, simple rune schemes that can defend a house, protect it from fire, and so on."

"And how much will you be charging?" This time there was a hint of smugness.

"Nothing. Magic is free, I don't have the right to charge for it, I just have the right to take it away or ensure it is not abused.

"If I do things right, then within the next few hundred years, money will not be used anymore. My friends, who I am staying with, don't realise that their entire home is currently running on magic, the size of their energy bill will be very small." Harry laughed lightly.

Trish paused to consider that, money was always an issue, but to not have to worry about it… she quickly shook herself as the producer queried her long pause in her ear.

"One last question before we wrap up: What about the various religions that will no doubt declare you as an abomination or insane?"

"I'm not here to challenge religion. I have never met God, Allah, Buddha or any other deity, but that doesn't mean they don't exist. They are free to have their opinions, as long as their opinions do not have an adverse affect on others or myself. Freedom of religion is not freedom to persecute." Harry said seriously.

"Well, thank you for your time Doctor Potter, it's been nice to have you on the show." Trish turned to the camera. "For those of you who would like to see tonight's program again you can visit our website at –"

"TV off." T'Challa's voice was croaky as he verbally commanded the TV to power down.

The mood was distinctly tense amongst the assembled superheroes, they had a tendency for paranoia, granted it was usually justified, but still…

"I was growling at Death." T'Challa stated shakily. "And you just let me?" He asked with a slight whimper.

"The kid don't care." Logan laughed. "He's real easy going. I saw him bring Hydro over there back from the dead and kill Apocalypse both with a smile on his face."

"I have seen him angry." Hank said quietly. "But he was only furious over the actions of others and the pain or danger they had or would cause others. He had smoke billowing from his nose he was so angry."

"Harry's a dragon shifter, he can change into this huge dragon. Jean told us that when he is truly angry his dragon traits can bleed through his human form." Amara explained.

"I can't believe he thinks he's actually Death." Reed Richards scoffed.

"You knew the God of Thunder, but you doubt Death?" Luke Cage asked with a smirk.

"That's different, it seems obvious tha-" Reed was cut off by Ben Grimm's hand clamping down on his mouth… which had the affect of covering his whole head.

"Ain't nothing you can say that won't get your ass fried, Stretch. Keep it quiet." Ben hissed considering the mystical powerhouses in the room like Doctor Strange not to mention the fact that T'Challa himself was empowered by the Panther God.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Spiderman interrupted hastily. He was there in costume as it was known that T'Challa was an ally of Spiderman, but not Mary Jane, hence her lack of invite and babysitting. As it was he was having a hard time not gazing longingly at MJ and Jean. "Let's back up to the part where he resurrected Hydro!"

"That's nothing, word is Laurie had an actual out of body experience!" The boy in question answered.

"She was assassinated by one of Stryker's men, sniper at very long range, Jean got herself killed and turned into a baby trying to take the bullet for her, but it just went through and got them both." Cyclops explained. "Harry had Josh heal her body whilst he held onto… her soul."

Laurie meanwhile was being comforted by Sofia and Dani. This was not a memory she enjoyed, she still slept with Fawkes over her bed, crooning softly.

"Wow… I knew he was powerful… but wow." Spiderman said in awe.

"Ah, come on Pete, I went wandering through your noggin'! I know you've met people with just as much power." They turned abruptly to see Harry standing there.

"Ex nay on the ete-ay!" Spiderman said through gritted teeth as he made a striking motion across his throat hastily.

"What? They don't know?"

Spiderman shook his head vigorously.

"But these are all the good guys! You aren't on the clock here."

"You also know that the only way to keep my family safe is by anoni- anmoni- anomy- secrecy!"

"Right, over here you." Harry ordered as he wandered into a corner.

"What is he going to do?" Ororo wondered.

"With Harry, who knows." MJ sighed.

"You trust Harry, Mary Jane?" The T'Challa.

"With my life, the lives of everyone I love and any children I have, I am going to ask him to deliver my next child." She said firmly.

Most of the superheroes knew of Mary Jane's miscarriage.

"You're sure this will work?" Spiderman was arguing with Harry as they came back over.

"Just do it, tell her!" Harry said impatiently as he gestured to Mary Jane.

"Tell me what?"

Spiderman sighed. "Do you know who I am under the mask?

"No, it's a secret that my husbands old boss would love to know though." She shrugged.

"Seriously, if you know who I am, just say it, any of you, no joking here."

Mary Jane looked around the room as they all just shrugged. "Don't recognise the voice or smell." Logan said.

"Now take off the mask."

"Is that wise?" Hank queried. "I know the sort of people that have been after our arachnid friend, they wouldn't hesitate to go after his family if they knew who they were."

"See? Now take off the mask." Harry ordered.

Spiderman sighed, removing his mask.

What everyone saw was a man with blond hair and black eyes.

"Well, can you admit now that you knew me?" He asked slightly annoyed.

"Never seen you before in my life." Mary Jane shrugged. "As far as I know. Have we met somewhere?"

"MJ, it's me, Pete!"

"Pete who?"

Harry just laughed as he conjured a mirror.

"Oh my god! What did you do to me?" Peter demanded as he touched his changed face.

"Now tell them who you are, the first phrase." Harry instructed.

"I am Peter Parker."

"Pete, what are you doing here? And why are you wearing Spiderman's costume… is he in trouble or something?" Mary Jane asked worriedly.

"What?" Peter was getting highly confused.

"Now tell them the secret."

"Peter Parker is Spiderman."

"Oh!" Was the collective exclamation of the group.

"You modified the Fidelius again?" Mary Jane asked.

"Yep, figured this would be better than him losing his cover if his mask got damaged." Harry grinned happily.

"Because that never happens, right Pete?" Luke Cage snickered, he received a jab in the gut from his pregnant wife.

"That was not my fault!" Peter said defensively.

"You were the one who decided to jump head first into a fight with 80 plus super criminals." Luke smirked.

"Back to the Fidelius, we should probably take advantage of the fact that everyone is here. Lorna, Dani, shall we?" Mary Jane declared as she handed Jean off to Harry.

"All ladies not currently protected by the Lily Charm follow us, any witches wanting to learn how to apply it, follow as well." Dani ordered as she levered herself up from where she was wedged between Laurie and Shan.

Surprisingly most of the witches got up and followed.

"What's the Lily Charm?" T'Challa asked.

"Let's just say that, Harry here, has given our ladies a weapon on par with sleeping on the couch." Pete declared as he slung an arm around Harry.

"There is a solution to that." Harry smirked. "Don't screw up… or make the sex so good that they can't help but come back for more." Harry shrugged.

Harry found himself standing in the middle of a crater staring at a large war hammer.

He had woken up at 1am and found something pulling at his magic.

He teleported towards the source and discovered the hammer.

"Harry, it's the middle of the night, come back to bed." He heard Dani moan in his head mentally. Every night Dani would drag him into her bed. More often than not they were joined by Lorna. Amara would sometimes drag him to her bed if the other two weren't around. Nothing sexual occurred but they found themselves enjoying each other's presence at night and now they all simply slept in Amara's room.

"I'll be back as soon as I can. I got called out by a hammer… I don't understand it but I think I might have helped make this hammer." Harry replied as he scratched his chin and examined the hammer without touching it.

"Harry, this wouldn't be a war hammer with a leather strap? Lot's of ancient symbols on it?" Lorna asked, she was suddenly very awake.

"Yep, that's the one. You know it?"

"That's definitely Thor's Hammer." Dani commented.

Harry gave a very unmanly shriek as he jumped back in surprise at the sudden arrival of his now fully dressed and awake bed mates.

"What does it mean though, didn't Thor die?" Amara asked as she tried to pick up the hammer but failed.

"They had Ragnarok." Dani answered as she gave the hammer a shot but again, failed.

"But why would Harry be drawn to his hammer?" Lorna asked as she failed in her attempt.

"I can think of one way to find out." Dani indicated Harry should pick up the hammer.

"You think that's a good idea?" Harry asked.

"What's the worse that could happen?"

"Dani, in all my years I have never met Murphy, but I can assure you that he exists and that you have just sent him a signed invitation." Harry sighed. He stepped forward and reached for the hammer, but paused. "For the record, anything goes wrong… it's your fault." He told Dani.

He grasped the hammer and vanished in a flash of light.

"This is all your fault Dani." Lorna scowled.

Harry found himself standing in an unusual place. The sky was filled with darkness but with sights much like the Northern Lights of Earth, only purple in colour. Large rocky formations floated in the air thousands of feet above him.

Mists of purple swirled around his feet obscuring the ground.

Two blond men stood before him. One was dressed in a white gown, almost like a roman garment, his hair was long and blond. The other was smaller and dressed in modern clothing, jeans and a t-shirt. His hair was short and blond.

"Who are you two?"

"Uncle Harry?" The larger man asked with surprise. "I suppose your stories are about to come true." He chuckled.

Harry was confused. "Huh?"

"Of course, forgive me. You told me long ago that you would not know me when we met in the future." Thor smiled as he strode forward and grabbed Harry in a bear hug.

"Thor, you didn't actually explain who you are to him… and I would like to know who he is." The shorter man spoke up.

"Of course, of course, forgive me, I have been too long in the void." Thor said. "I am Thor Odinson. God of Thunder. This is Donald Blake, the mortals of Midgard would call him my alter-ego."

Donald and Harry shook hands. "Harry Potter, I'm… well, Death and the Master of Magic."

"The god of Death? Like Hel is the Norse god of the dead?" Donald asked.

"No, literally, Death personified. I don't have a realm, I just… make sure Death is applied were appropriate."

"Harry Potter knew me as a boy who sat upon his knee in my father's halls as he regaled us with tales of his adventures!"

"I did?"

"You will!" Thor smiled. "I was but a child when you and my father discussed this. If only he were here, he would be able to explain it better, but alas, my people are all gone." He finished sadly.

"That's why I came to find you… or why I was going to come and find you." Donald frowned. "I had this whole moving speech about how it isn't gods who decide whether men exist but the other way round… now… it seems pointless."

"Harry does have that effect on people." Thor laughed. "But tell me, why are you here? I would have thought that you would cease to exist when I died."

"I don't have an answer to that either." Donald admitted.

Both men turned to Harry inquisitively.

"Hey! Don't look at me, I just got here and discovered I had a nephew."

"Adopted nephew of sorts. My father declared you part of the family before I was even born. A prince of Asgard no less."

"Ok, so let's deal with what we do know. You are supposed to be dead," he pointed at Thor, "and you aren't supposed to exist," he pointed at Donald, "and I have three very worried ladies waiting for me back home… by the way, do either of you know why this was calling out for me?" He asked as he held out the hammer that had come with him.

"My hammer!"

"How can you lift that? I thought only Thor could lift it."

"The girls who were with me couldn't move it, I picked it up and wound up here." Harry explained.

"You put your own magic and protections on Mjolinar." Thor told him. "It was my father who infused it with his life force but you also gifted it with your blessings."

"That would explain why it feels so familiar." Harry said.

"Could we get to the part where we all return to the mortal realm?" Don asked impatiently. "It's pretty creepy here and I am fairly certain that we are being watched."

"Aye, the demons are returning." Thor frowned.

"I've never actually done intra-dimensional teleportation myself." Harry said worriedly.

"As you often told me, there is a first time for everything." Thor smiled.

"Well, let's make it quick." Harry said as he placed a hand on both men's shoulders.

Harry focused on Dani, Amara and Lorna. They would be his focal point in the mortal realm, his beacon home. He poured his power into teleporting but was shocked when he lost his grip on Donald. He didn't want to break his concentration so he focused harder.

"AAAARRRGGG!"

*THUMP*

"Ow!"

"That had better be Harry's hand."

"Better not be Bobby again."

"Harry, is that you?"

"It's me." Harry groaned as he gingerly tried to lever himself off of Dani, Lorna and Amara. "Why are we in bed?" He asked as he saw the three women in nightgowns all in the same bed.

"We were sleeping." Lorna was very annoyed. "Where the hell have you been?"

"Some sort of void… was I gone for a long time on your end?"

"Two weeks, approximately." Dani answered. "We really could have used you. Really."

Harry didn't not like the harrowed looks on the faces of his friends. "What happened?"

"There was a huge battle between the pro and anti registration forces. Thor turned up on the side of the pro's and he killed Goliath." Amara told him.

"Is he a villain or something?"

"He was one of the nicest people you could meet. He just didn't agree with registration and Thor just killed him. It was all over the news. Storm and T'Challa came over and offered to cover the costs of burial as he was stuck in giant mode and they couldn't find a casket big enough for him."

"I'm having a hard time believing it was Thor."

"It was on the news, the whole world saw him do it." Dani explained.

"Except, I was with Thor whilst I was away. Now, granted I could have come back later than him but I don't think so. Also, Thor says I am like an uncle to him. He says I taught him, if I did, I would have taught him better than to kill over an argument."

"Then what was it we saw?" She asked curiously.

"No idea, but I think I should go and speak to Thor himself." Harry said as he stood up. He cast another look at the three ladies curiously. "Why are you three in bed together?"

They all blushed. "We got so used to sleeping with each other that… we couldn't sleep apart." Amara admitted.

Harry just laughed. He quickly teleported out when three pillows headed his way.

Harry appeared in the middle of what was clearly an African village. He was clearly one of only two white men there, the other was not Thor.

"Don? I thought I lost you during the teleport, where's Thor?" Harry asked the Doctor. "Wait… why do you have Thor's soul in you?"

"Thor and I-" Don stopped as he looked over Harry's shoulder.

"Don't mind them, they are probably just worried I'm going to vanish again." Harry said dismissively.

"Damn right." Lorna growled. "Last time you vanished on us we wound up facing an army of Doombots with Fantastic Four. It was not a good time!"

"Can we discuss this in private?" Don whispered to Harry.

"Sure, but you can trust these three."

"Give me some- never mind, Thor says your word is enough."

"Right, explain, now!"

"Do you remember how Thor called me his alter-ego? Thor and I can't exist at the same time. We change back by using Mjolinar." He explained as he held out his stick.

Harry took the stick and examined it. He gave it a good sniff as well. "Impressive, did I help make it like this?"

"No, this was done recently, by Odin as a punishment for Thor's more reckless behaviour."

"But you're a person, a real soul. He just merged the two of you together?"

"It's not a bad existence, but it does put a bit of a dampener on my love life." He grinned self-deprecatingly.

"I could probably reverse it, might be more helpful to have you separated." Harry offered.

"As much as I would like that I don't know if it would be smart, what would Odin say?" Don paused as he listened to the voice of Thor.

"Although Thor makes a good point, Odin is not here anymore. He's dead."

"So was Thor, is there a reason we can't get him back? I'm not really familiar with the concept of souls not crossing over so this is all new to me." Harry explained.

Don listened again. "Ok, I can't keep acting as a mouthpiece like this. Can you take us somewhere private? You can speak to Thor in person."

"Why don't we go back to Asgard?" Lorna suggested.

"Yeah, I've been there before and I think I can get back there." Dani agreed. She vanished on the spot before returning. "Yep, no problem, just follow me." She smiled before teleporting again.

After arriving in Asgard Don smashed his wooden stick on the ground transforming him into Thor. Thor then led them to the throne room where they sat and spoke on conjured chairs.

"Ok, why shouldn't I separate you and Don and why can't we bring Odin back like we did you?" Harry asked.

"Even you freely admitted that my father was one of the wisest men you had ever met, when you knew me as a child. I am… wary of going against the wishes of my father, even though he is no longer among us." Thor admitted.

"What if Odin knew you would meet me and I would be the one to separate you?"

"I hate second guessing time travel." Lorna groaned.

"We definitely need more alcohol if we start down this road." Dani sighed.

Harry just looked at them with amusement.

"'Tis true." Thor nodded. "You and my father would vanish for days at a time and return smelling of ale and mead, often you were carrying my father's drunken form." Thor said with fond remembrance.

Harry sighed sadly. "Well, at least I know I'll never get drunk."

"Why?" Dani asked.

"Pitfalls of fast healing factor. My body doesn't let the alcohol affect me." Harry explained.

"Maybe we should attend to the matter at hand?" Amara interrupted.

"Yeah… yeah." Harry nodded slowly. "Ok, if I said Odin was wise then I think it is safe to say Odin new me pretty well, yes?"

Thor nodded. "You were like brothers."

"Then Odin would know that the first thing I would do when I saw you and Donald was try and separate you regardless of how or why you became like this. Especially if Odin was not around."

"Can't we just find and ask Odin?" Lorna asked. "Like Harry said, you were dead and you came back."

Thor looked very uncomfortable.

"Well that look certainly doesn't inspire hope." Dani snarked.

"Lord Thor, perhaps you could share your fears, after all, Lord Death clearly has your respect and trust." Amara suggested respectfully.

Thor nodded. "Wise council, Dear Lady.

"Uncle, it was partly my father's fault that we faced Ragnarok. Asgard was caught in an endless loop which always ended with Ragnarok, with his death we are free to live." Thor explained, though he was clearly shamed by his admission.

Harry wrinkled his nose in thought. "On a personal level, do you, as his son want him back?"

"Of course! I may be the Prince of Asgard and Heir to the Throne, but it is my father who reigned and led our people through times of trials and triumphs. As his son… I miss his companionship and council."

"Ok… now, let's go back to Odin being wise, did I ever teach you any lessons about wisdom?"

"You taught me that wisdom comes not with age, but experience and the ability to learn from experience, that the truly wise learn from the experience of others so they do not make the same mistakes."

Harry smiled, those were the lessons his dad, Xander, had taught him. "Does Odin live up to those standards of wisdom?"

"Of course! It was you who named him Odin the Wise."

Harry stood the others rising with him. "If he truly lives up to the lessons I gave you about wisdom then you know whether you should bring him back or not. Call us if you need help." Harry said before he vanished with the girls back to the mansion and to sleep.

Thor stood there thinking about what Harry said. If Odin was wise then he would learn from his own experiences and Thor's. He would be a better king and father because of it.

His mind made up he went off to find Heimdell. He needed to awaken the rest of the Asgardians… and his father.

*Chapter 10*: Chapter 10  
Chapter 10

"Harry, we've put this off for long enough." Amara said as she marched into the infirmary. Behind her were Dani and Lorna.

Hank McCoy took one look at the determined trio and vanished with nary a peep.

"Traitor." Harry hissed at the empty space.

"Enough stalling. I know I'm suffering still, and that means you are still suffering as well." Amara said sternly. "We need to do the soul bonding."

"You're sure about this?" He asked with a worried look.

"Very sure, I've had over a month to consider it. We all have." Amara said firmly.

"All?" Harry asked in a slight panic.

"Yes Harry, all. You are a great friend. Personally I want the romance. Dani is open to it. But more importantly we want to help you especially after all you have done for us." Lorna said as she walked over and wrapped her arms around him.

"But what about Bobby? Or Alex?"

"They want me. They have been fighting over me since they met me. It was cute at first, but now I can't walk into a room with the two of them without the pair of them whipping it out and getting into it!" She threw her hands up in exasperation. "Neither of them are mature enough yet, I already screwed Alex out of a decent relationship, I'm trying to set that up again. Bobby… Bobby is still a teenager at heart, he needs to find some girls to sow his oats with."

"Sounds… complicated."

"Welcome to the X-Men." Dani giggled.

"But seriously, all three of you? I have never linked more than one person before. It may change the way you feel for each other. You may find yourselves attracted to each other or you may find yourselves thinking of each other as sisters." Harry tried to reason.

"Will it take away our free will?" Lorna asked.

"Definitely not."

"Will it force us to enter a relationship with each other or you?"

"No."

"Then the choice is ours and will still be ours after the bonding… joining… whatever!" She said in slight exasperation. "Now stop stalling and get on with it. Every second you wait is a second longer that Amara suffers."

"Wait for us!"

The four adults turned to see the Stepford Cuckoos and Laura enter with Emma and Logan behind.

"You want a joint ceremony?" Harry asked with a smile. "Because there isn't really a ceremony, you know."

"We want to join with you as well." Celeste declared.

Harry looked at Emma and Logan in surprise.

"Yes, we spent the past few days arguing with them. Not that Logan was much help." Emma scowled at the oft-feral man.

Logan just shrugged. "It was hard enough getting her to come here to the mansion, this is something she seems to really want."

"Personally I object to having my girls anywhere near X-23."

"'Laura', Emma. Let's not have this conversation again." Harry warned. It was clear that Emma did not trust Laura at all. Scott had already had to have words with Emma about how she treated her.

"Although it would be beneficial for Laura to bond with someone other than Logan, the members of the bond tend to have a subconscious influence on each other, and Logan's feral side is substantially more powerful than the rest of him." Harry mused. "But what's your reason, Laura?"

"I… want to have… happiness, a romance… but I only trust you." She said with her trademark frown. "I don't know how to have them, but maybe you could teach me."

"You don't trust Logan?" Harry asked, slightly shocked.

"I do, but… not the same way." She admitted.

"Sounds to me like she already has a crush on you, Harry." Dani smirked.

"Not helping Dani." Harry groaned.

"Yes she is." Lorna corrected. "For this to work, we need to be brutally honest with each other. I think it's obvious Laura has feelings for Harry, but she doesn't realise that they are romantic and doesn't know what to do with them. If she bonds her soul to Harry's we can all help her."

"You're actually going along with this?" Harry asked in pure disbelief.

"We knew what we were getting into when we approached you. Amara has been discussing her idea with us for a few weeks, even Jean was backing her up." Dani explained. "We knew that there would be others, we were encouraged to find others… we weren't expecting volunteers though." She frowned at the four teenage girls.

"We hear everything, but we can choose not to listen." The Three-In-One said together. Emma looked shocked at that admission.

Harry looked to Laura.

"I also hear everything." She said blandly.

"Ain't that the truth." Logan grunted.

"So why do you three want to bond with Harry?" Lorna asked.

"No one else will understand us." Celeste stated.

"No one else will accept us together." Mindee scowled. "And not take advantage of us."

"We hear everything." Phoebe re-iterated with a fair amount of annoyance.

"We feel whatever the other feels." Celeste said with a hint of sadness.

"But we also feel drawn to Harry." They stated as one.

"Yeah, that bit doesn't surprise me. I feel the drawn to them as well." Harry admitted.

"What?!" Emma asked surprised and slightly angry. "What does that mean?" She demanded.

"For some reason they have some of Jean's phoenix essence in them. I am a companion to phoenixes, they are drawn to me and I am drawn to them."

"So they are not going to be your 'Angels of Death' or something equally macabre?" Emma checked.

"What! Hell no!" Harry was waving his hands frantically in denial. "No, the only one I've met who comes close is Logan. He reminds me of my Dad who did play a similar role. Although it was really just to use fear and terror to subdue evil wizards."

"No thanks, Bub." Logan growled. "Once was enough." He still had to deal with nightmares about Apocalypse.

"Don't worry, that was millions of years ago. I was only fourteen at the time, and I wasn't really Death then either. That happened later, when I was fifteen."

Unfortunately this didn't seem to appease Emma who was standing with the highly unusual expression of being gobsmacked at Harry's brief history of his childhood.

"You were killing people at fourteen?" She asked.

"No, fifteen. I was pretending to be Death at fourteen. It was this whole thing we did to put fear in the current Dark Lord. He was desperate for immortality and power and enjoyed killing non-magicals for sport."

"History lesson later, bonding now!" Dani interrupted impatiently. "The suspense is killing me!"

"Fine, form a line." Harry sighed indicating they should stand side by side next to one of the beds. "You first Amara, lie down. Now, I am going to be pulling your soul from your body so I can work on it, try not to be too alarmed."

Amara's eyes widened comically but she suddenly slumped as Harry placed a hand flat on her chest and glowed. The others watched as Harry raised his hand pulling the ethereal form of Amara with it.

It was slightly disturbing as there was a fist-sized hole in her chest where her heart should be.

And she was naked.

"Not bad."

Dani instantly grabbed Logan and teleported him out. The look of displeasure on Lorna's face promised retribution.

Amara was currently giving Harry a fish-eyed expression. To which Harry just grinned. "You have the easy part, I have to force part of my soul out of my body, not easy at all!" Harry told them. "Ok, stick your hand in my chest." He instructed. "Can you feel that warmth?" Amara nodded, being unable to speak. "That's my soul, you need to keep a hold of it when I put you back in your body."

Suddenly another ethereal hand emerged from Harry's chest. It was a disfigured hand, missing a thumb… it was practically a skeleton.

"Harry…" Emma gasped even as Laura's claws could be heard popping out.

"Relax, that's my soul." Harry assured him, he was rewarded with the sound of Laura retracting her claws. Harry's soul reached into Amara's and held tight. "Hold on now, I'm going to put you back in your body, don't let go of my soul."

Gently Harry pushed Amara's ghost like form back into her body, as his soul retracted taking a strand of Amara with it and she held a strand of his. Her body gasped as she awoke and the image of the souls faded.

"That was so weird." She breathed.

"How are you feeling?" Harry asked.

"Ok. Good even. My chest and head don't feel so heavy."

"That's our souls helping each other. I feel a bit better as well." Harry admitted.

"But not completely?" Lorna asked with concern.

"I've had about fifteen soul mates. The damage you saw to Amara's chest was from when Antonio died and it ripped at her soul, the damage to my hand was… just a fraction of what my soul looks like." He shuddered.

"It looked… like a corpse." Emma grimaced.

"An apt description." Harry nodded sadly. "My soul is dying, all the bonds that have torn at it made it unstable. One of the reasons Jean prodded you into doing this is because without help my soul would have fragmented, that would be very bad."

"So you can die?" Emma asked.

"No. My soul would still be around but it would be… lost, I would have no moral compass, no compassion, sympathy, empathy… I would be the spectre of death that people actually fear. My soul won't die, but it will remain in a state of 'dying'."

"But us bonding with you helps with that, right?" Dani asked.

"Definitely. It would have taken millions of more years for my soul to collapse, but even with just Amara I feel a bit better."

"Then stop dawdling. Amara, get off that bed or budge over!" Dani ordered.

As Harry performed the same procedure with Dani they saw that her soul was a perfect image of her body with no damage, likewise with Lorna.

"I feel even better." Amara said with a curious smile. "Am I supposed to?"

"Considering how great I feel, I'd say yes." Dani was practically bouncing around like a five year on a sugar high.

"Huh, must be the additional bonds." Harry mused.

"You don't know?" Emma asked incredulously. "I thought you were the Master of Souls!"

Harry just shrugged. "Just because I can do all sorts of things with souls, doesn't mean I have done everything. I have never done this before."

"But I would say that those four should definitely link with Harry to get the best results." Lorna noted as she indicated the four clones.

"Ok, Laura first, you three are going to be complicated." He told the Cuckoos.

Laura calmly lay down on the now vacated bed.

There was a gasp of horror as they saw just how bad the damage was to her soul. Part of her head was missing along with her heart and her hands were gone, replaced with her claws.

It was clear that Laura was beginning to panic.

"Easy." Harry soothed. "This is a representation of what you look like now. But you will change as you experience more and learn more about life and as our souls help heal yours." He assured her. "Now, grab my soul and let's get you started on life." He told her with a kind smile.

Laura sat up once she was back in her body. Tears started streaming down her face and she began to switch between giggling and sobbing.

Lorna and Amara rushed forward to hug and console her but Harry erected a barrier between them and stepped forwards himself pulling her into a hug.

They soon understood why he did it when Laura suddenly became enraged and began slashing at everything with her claws, even Harry, but he still held on.

"Emma, what's happening?" Dani asked worriedly.

"She appears to be suffering with a multitude of conflicting emotions, it's like a big mass of instruments with no rhythm or melody, just chaos." She frowned.

"Fawkes!" Harry called out, the phoenix flashed in and landed on Laura's shoulder where it began to sing softly.

Slowly Laura began to calm down and she relaxed, sinking into Harry's chest as she exhausted herself emotionally.

When things seemed settled Lorna spoke up softly. "What was that Harry?"

"All her memories… they had no emotional context for her. Something happened when they bonded. She experienced all the emotions that her memories should have had." Emma answered, her eyes where swollen, the White Queen's emotional barriers at breaking point.

"She gonna be ok?" Dani asked.

"She'll be fine, she just needs to learn to adjust and come to grips with emotions." Harry assured them. Harry lay the now sleeping Laura back down on the bed as Fawkes continued to sing.

"Are you sure you still want to do this?" Harry asked the triplets. "I'm guessing you will experience something similar."

"We had emotions once." Phoebe said.

"When we were Five-In-One." Celeste added.

"We want them again." Mindee finished.

Harry nodded understandingly. He turned and conjured three mattresses on the floor with the heads at the centre and the feet pointing outwards.

"Ok, you only have one soul between you, and you each hold a piece of it and that piece is connected to the others. I am going to connect each soul piece to my soul."

The girls nodded as they lay down.

As Harry went round each girl connecting to their soul, the others noticed that their souls were much fainter than their own, but also were golden instead of white and seemed to be fairly intact… just bald.

"Much better." The girls said as one as a smile graced their faces.

Emma let out a very happy sigh. "Now I know what was missing." The tear that had been threatening to fall finally escaped down her cheek. "Please keep them happy." She almost pleaded of Harry.

"Trust me." Harry said simply. He turned to look at Fawkes who was watching them with avid interest. "You want to explain why these three share a Phoenix soul?" He demanded of the bird.

To the amusement of the assembled, Fawkes trilled and shrugged.

"Are there anymore?"

Fawkes nodded his head.

"Well go and get them then. I assume they need training."

Fawkes did what only could be described as 'grumped' before he flamed out.

"Well?" Dani asked as she reappeared having collected Logan.

"I was wrong, they don't have some of Jean's essence, they actually are Phoenixes. Or a Phoenix, at least." Harry sighed.

"They're immortal?" Emma asked.

"True immortals, like me." Harry confirmed. "I won't need to send their souls on later, they won't descend into madness." He grinned.

"What's the alternative… not a true immortal?" Logan asked.

"Erm… well, you, Emma, Laura and Amara are immortal. As long as your souls are in your bodies your bodies will continue to live… barring someone trying to murder you. But in a few thousand years your souls will suffer, kind of lose its grasp on reality. The human mortal soul is not meant to stay on this plane of existence forever."

"We're going to go mad?" Amara asked worriedly.

"Not for a long, long time, and when that time comes I can send you on gently and the madness will leave you as you pass on." Harry assured her.

"What makes us 'immortal'?" Logan asked.

"For you and Laura, it's your healing ability. It will keep you going by constantly upgrading your cells and replacing them. Age is just another disease.

"For Amara and Emma, it has to do with their ability to change the make up of their bodies, by switching to their alternate forms and back again they sort of refresh their cells."

"But we could theoretically live forever?" Amara asked.

"Theoretically." Harry agreed.

"How'd the Trips' become a Phoenix?" Logan asked.

"Damned if I know." Harry snorted. "It'll be easier to ask Jean when she grows up."

At this point Fawkes returned with a passenger.

"Logan? Emma? What the hell?!" Rachel Summers asked.

"Should have seen that one coming." Logan groaned.

"You're Scott and Jean's kid?" Harry asked.

"Yeah, who the hell are you?" She demanded. "Wait… you're that nut job who was on the news claiming to be Death."

"'Nut job'? Been a long time since someone called me that." Harry smirked. "Short version. You're a Phoenix, the triplets are a Phoenix, the kidnapping bird is a Phoenix, your mother is a Phoenix. The kidnapping bird is your new tutor, Jean will be helping when she grows up."

"Grows up?"

"Ask us later kid." Logan chuckled.

"Girls, you ok to begin training with Fawkes?" Harry asked the Cuckoos. But he noticed they were sitting there staring at him. "Girls?"

Harry and Emma moved towards them quickly.

"They are in a trance." Emma stated.

"Oh… oh!" Harry exclaimed. "The bond let them bypass my mental defences. They are actually in my mind."

"How could you not tell and why don't they just leave." Emma queried.

"Well, my mind is a big place, I have millions of years experience and memories, it's like trying to tell if a small space rock makes it to the surface of the sun, you actually have to actively track it."

"But the dragon-"

"Defends it, but the dragon recognised them as part of me due to the bond. Now they are lost in my mind."

"How do we get them out?" Lorna asked.

"Give me a few minutes, just because I wasn't aware they had gotten in doesn't mean I can't track them." Harry sat down crossed legged and stared back at the Cuckoos.

"Can someone please explain what the hell is going on?" Rachel demanded again, angrily.

"Everything Harry told you is the truth, kid." Logan frowned.

"That me and the creepy clones are Phoenixes? I already know what I am."

Fawkes took the opportunity to cuff her head with his wing.

"Ow! Stupid bird." She rubbed her head vigorously.

Fawkes began squawking at her, clearly irritated.

"Why is this bird… how is this bird talking to me?" She asked in shock.

"No idea, he only talks to Harry and Jean usually." Logan shrugged.

"Hey Harry, oh hi guys." MJ greeted as she appeared with Jeanie in Her arms and a very pregnant Jessica Jones at her side.

"MJ! Jeanie!" Dani gushed as she rushed over to steal a giggling Jean from MJ. Jean was a lot bigger now at nearly two years in physical age.

MJ just smiled and turned to Jessica. "And now you know where to look for babysitters."

Jessica returned the smile but it was clear she was nervous.

"Harry's a little occupied at the moment, we did the soul bonding, Laura and the Cuckoos wanted to bond with him as well, but the Triplets sort of got lost in his mind." Lorna explained.

"Oh, will he be long?"

"Already done." Harry spoke up. "What have we learnt?" He asked the Cuckoos.

"Leave a trail of breadcrumbs." Celeste scowled.

"You have far too much empty space in your head." Mindee added causing the other two to giggle.

"I love having emotions again." Phoebe sighed happily.

In the background Emma gave a sad smile. She was still connected to her girls, even if they wouldn't acknowledge it.

Noticing the two new arrivals with Jean, Harry sent the triplets to re-introduce Rachel to her mother.

"So, what can I do for you lovely ladies?" Harry asked as he approached Jessica and Mary Jane.

"I suggested that Jessica ask you to be her doctor."

Harry looked at Jessica expectantly.

"You really made the Lily Charm?" Jessica asked nervously.

"I did. For my adopted sister who I saved from an attempted rape." Harry said seriously.

He was suddenly crushed in a hug by a pregnant woman. Harry just calmly returned the hug. It was clear to him what had gotten her so upset, she didn't need to tell him.

"Can you give it to all women?"

"Not by myself. I need to make more witches so they can go out and do it." Harry said sadly. "You could be one of them." He offered.

"Really?" She asked as she pulled back to look at him.

"Yeah, but you need to help me do something very difficult."

She recoiled in apprehension.

"When I make you a witch, you will be able to teleport to anyone you know. You need to take me to the man who hurt you. I need to kill him."

"What?" This was slightly confusing.

"It's his job, Jess." Logan spoke up clearly. "Its who he is. He removes the evil from the world permanently. But if you're going to do this, you should take Luke with you."

"Luke Cage?" Harry asked. "Your husband."

"Not yet, but… he is mine." She smiled fondly.

"Ok, Logan, go get Luke."

"Do I have to?" Jessica asked as she began to shake.

"No. Your husband knows this man?"

"Luke, yes, and he's not my husband. Yet." She added firmly.

"Haven't been to a wedding in a long time. Don't make me wait too long." He winked. Then he grew serious again. "You should be the one to take me to him. You should be the one to witness his death."

"But he has mind control powers." She whispered.

"And Jeanie made sure you were protected from them, remember?" Logan said as he appeared with Luke Cage.

"Doc." Luke greeted.

"Good to see you again."

"Now, what's this about you killing the Purple Man?"

"He's a fucking rapist. He should have been killed the second he was discovered. So that's what I'm going to do." Harry hissed angrily startling Jessica and Luke with his ferocity. "Jessica is going to take me to him and I wanted you to accompany us, for comfort."

"I'm all for killing the bastard, but are you sure we should?" Luke asked carefully. "I'm just thinking of the fact that Captain America pulled me off him when I was pounding him to crap back on the prison island."

"Depends on why you were going to kill him. For justice or to sate your rage."

"Bit of both I guess."

"Yeah, well this guy pisses me off and I never met him. But this is my duty, one of the reasons I was sent to this world. The bastard is evil and I will end him." Harry growled. He then switched to a happy smile shocking Jessica and Luke slightly. "But first, lets get you magic'd up!"

He then stepped forward without warning and placed a hand over Luke's chest. Luke did his best not to flinch. "What?" He asked. "Wait! What the hell?!" He asked as Harry's hand began to glow.

"Relax Luke, he's making you into a wizard, like us." Logan assured him.

"Unbreakable skin isn't enough?"

Logan suddenly teleported in front of him but behind Harry. "When your sprog comes out, wouldn't you want the ability to reach him at any time?"

"Yeah… I guess." Luke admitted. "Wait… 'him'?"

"No idea, just picked a gender." He shrugged.

"You don't know? I can tell you if you want." Harry offered.

"I don't know, what about the surprise?" Jessica asked.

"Trust me, better to be prepared." Harry smiled as he finished up with Luke. "Dani, take him and teach him the basics whilst I magic up Jessica." He called over to the Native American who was still playing with Jean.

"Hey! Watch the hands!" Luke snapped as Harry placed his hand over Jessica's heart.

Dani rolled her eyes. "Relax big guy. You should have expected that after doing it to you."

"Yeah, but there are reasons for not touching her other than me being a jealous bastard." He explained as he kept a close eye on Jessica.

"The way MJ is telling it, she's going to ask Harry to be her doctor, deliver the baby."

"What? She never told me."

"Something tells me that MJ is more of a driving force than just introducing them." Dani laughed.

"You guys really trust him, huh?" He sighed.

"Yeah, let's face it, he can kill all of us without trying, but instead he takes care of us and helps us… I dunno, achieve stuff." She shrugged. "Ok, come on, need to get you teleporting."

Meanwhile Harry was working on Jessica.

"Why aren't you married yet?" Harry asked Jessica.

"The usual, money, time, he hasn't had the guts to ask me yet." She said with an airy wave of her hand as she tried to ignore Harry's hand over her chest.

"Ahh." Harry smiled in understanding. "Well, I can happily provide you with whatever you need for a wedding… just not the groom. Won't cost you a penny. I'm fairly certain that amongst the mansion residents we can also get you to your honeymoon free of charge."

"Really? Well… um… I er…"

"Should discuss this with your potential husband and get back to me." Harry finished as he removed his hand. "But you would be doing me a big favour by letting us help with the decorating and stuff. It would give the recently magic'd a chance to practice the more aesthetic side of their powers, like conjuration."

"I promise to think about it." She told him sincerely.

"Good, now Luke is over there practicing. See, he's got that ball of light there? You need to do the same, focus on the feeling of me putting the magic into you and call it up and imagine your finger lighting up like E.T."

"I don't think I'm cut out to be a killer." Luke said as he sat down somewhat shakily on a couch Harry had conjured in the Infirmary.

"You're not supposed to be. But I am certain you could if you had to. If the need was right." Harry assured him.

"Thank you for letting me deal with the body, you were right, I needed that." Jessica said sincerely as she snuggled into Luke's side.

"I regret that I have a lot of experience in these things." Harry said sadly.

"I'll do it." Jessica said suddenly. "I'll even help run the clinic or whatever you set up."

"What you talking about, Baby?"

"Harry asked me to use my new magic to apply the Lily Charm to women who want it. It gives me peace of mind so I can't not help others by giving it to them."

Luke could only nod in understanding.

"I don't have any details yet but, an idea and willing people is always the first step." Harry told her. "I just need to find a building to work out of."

"Will you be our baby doctor?" She asked.

"I would be very happy to. I haven't delivered a baby in millions of years!" Harry smiled.

Luke frowned. "You do remember how, right?"

"One of the… perks… or flaws (depending on your point of view) of immortality is perfect recall. I remember everything." Harry assured them.

"Do you need to do any exams?" Jessica asked.

"Not really, I can tell everything is hunky-dory from here. Would you like to see the baby?" Harry asked with an excited grin. "It will reveal the sex." He warned.

"You mean like an ultra-sound?" She asked.

"Ultra-sound? You still use those?" Harry scoffed. "Nah, I can show you exactly what she looks like."

"She!"

"What? No, I mean he! Or she! It?" Harry backpedalled lamely.

"Wow… a little girl." Luke said in shocked awe as he stared into nothing.

Harry buried his head in his hands in mortification. He couldn't believe he had screwed up.

"Relax Harry, we would probably have asked anyway." Jessica reassured him.

Harry didn't respond except to wave a hand at Jessica.

She gasped as in front of them a 3D image of their baby appeared. "Oh my god! Luke, look!"

"I'm looking, Baby." Luke assured her, just as awed.

"Oh wow! She's gorgeous." Jessica gushed.

Harry waved a hand erasing the image.

"Aww, can't we watch some more?" Jessica whined.

Harry smirked. "Sure you can. When you manage to do it yourself."

"Isn't that special healing magic?" She asked.

"Magic is just magic. It is raw power. We are what shapes the power, we do it by generally willing it." Harry explained. "Back in my world, when magical children were small and young they would do what we would call 'accidental magic'. If they wanted a cookie from the top shelf, the jar would appear in their hands, cupboards that had favourite toys locked away suddenly opened. All because they wanted it."

"It can't be that simple, there must be some sort of technique or starting point." She argued.

Harry nodded. "There is, to a degree. You start with feeling your magic, like you do for making a light or teleporting… by the way, don't forget about the light you can make, you wouldn't believe the amount of times I am down here at night and find someone stumbling around in the dark looking for the light switch." He grumped. "Anyway, you need to focus your magic into what you want. You want to see your baby, so focus the magic on your womb and to where you want the image to be displayed."

"What if I accidentally affect the baby, what if I teleport it out of me?" She asked worriedly.

"Magic isn't just power, it has a form of intelligence. It knows what is not supposed to happen. You would have to be very specific and forceful in trying to accomplish something like that. It's why spells for healing or physical combat require more focus and power.

"I can replace limbs, when I first met Shiro he was missing both legs, I replaced them in minutes. But both of you combined couldn't do it, it takes at least five magicals to replace a full limb."

"Wow." Jessica muttered.

"Yep! Now, get focusing, Luke you too. This spell is also good for diagnosing things like bullet wounds or broken bones. Just focus your magic and ask it to show you your body." Harry vanished the armchair he had been relaxing in before heading to the door where he paused. "Actually, you might want to go home and do it. You shouldn't be able to damage yourself but I have known people to accidentally target the wrong areas and give people an eyeful."

Both Luke and Jessica stared at him wide eyed, it took Luke a few seconds to realise his wife had vanished before he followed.


	3. Chapter 11 - Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> M-Day. A day that would go down in history as the emergence of a new breed of humans. The Magicals. It all started with one individual who thought he was there to save the mutants. Sequel to Potter's Protector, rating for violence and swearing, no slash.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a Repost all words belong to mjimeyg

*Chapter 11*: Chapter 11  
Chapter 11

"Harry, do we need to be teaching Jean how to read and write?" MJ asked as she greeted Harry with a hug in the Infirmary a few days later.

"Nah, all her memories will come back to her including her education as she gets older. Just spend as much time as you like playing with her and having fun with her."

"When will she remember being an adult?" MJ asked. "When will she realise who and what she is?"

"About two to four weeks time, around age fourteen. Age sixteen she gets… horny." Harry chuckled.

"She seems to be about two or three at the moment. The Cuckoos grabbed her as soon as we arrived." She smiled.

"They are revelling in their emotions." Harry laughed. "And everyone else's."

"How's Laura?"

"She's… learning, I guess. The others are staying close to her, Cessily is taking her out tonight for coffee."

"Why aren't you spending time with them?" She asked.

"Well… apparently I smell really good… as a result it makes her smell really good and then Logan gets all protective."

"Huh?"

"She is physically attracted to me, it turns her on. Which Logan can tell… we have plenty of wood chips out back now."

"Oh… Oh!" MJ giggled as she blushed. "Why don't you just take her on a date?"

"I will, in a day or so when things settle down and she gets to grips with herself."

"What Harry isn't telling you is that Laura jumped him when she woke up that evening. I had to zap Laura on the butt to get her off him." Amara laughed as she walked in.

"How are things up stairs?" Harry asked.

"Tense. Bobby and Alex are both being moody and Lorna is about ready to declare war on them."

"What? Why?" MJ asked.

"Because they both wanted Lorna and were getting competitive over her."

Harry sighed. "I keep telling them that they can both date her as well if she is agreeable. If I can have a relationship with multiple women then why can't the women have relationships with multiple men?"

"I think they need to get used to the idea." Mary Jane suggested. "Anyway, I have a question about your soul bonds. If you can bond with the Triplets, who are apparently a Phoenix, why didn't you bond with Jean?"

Harry had a deer in the headlights expression. He suddenly grabbed their arms and dragged them into the office where he locked and sealed the door and cast a privacy charm.

"Alright, so you figured out a little flaw. But the reason is a secret, not life threatening, just not mine to tell. But it will bug you if you don't know and I know you can keep a secret.

"Jean already has a soul mate she is bonded to."

"Really! Logan?" Amara asked.

"Huh? No! Why would you think it was him?"

"There were rumours about those two having a tempestuous affair." She said dramatically.

"Erm… well, no. Scott of course. But she doesn't want them to know until Emma and Scott have accepted her."

"But what will happen when Scott dies? Won't she go mad?"

"She'll bond with me then, or I'll bond her to someone else." Harry shrugged.

"Wow… that…"

"Sounds like a tragic romance that only the bards could dream of?"

"I would say Hollywood Hacks would be more accurate." MJ snorted. "Anyway, I was hoping you could do something about this Superhero Registration Act, Tony and the others are pressuring Peter, but we all know what will happen if he goes public."

"I don't believe reasoning with them would help." Harry sighed. "The bigots are using this as an excuse to get more info on mutants and other 'freaks' and Tony is pretty damned fanatical."

"But-"

"How would you like to take an extended vacation, you and everyone but Peter?" Harry asked suddenly. "It won't be anywhere fancy, pretty much staying here, but you wouldn't be able to contact anyone."

"Explain."

"The only way to get through to them is for them to be responsible for their actions. We will tell Peter to reveal his identity to the world anyway they want him to. I will create replicas of yours and Pete's family whilst you stay here in safety. When the attack comes I will ram the blame down their throats."

"But then Aunt May and I won't be able to ever leave without being targets, everyone will know who Spiderman is."

"He can revoke the knowledge. You think I didn't account for ex-boyfriends and abusive husbands when I created the Lily Charm?" Harry asked with a pointed smile.

"What will we tell Peter?"

"We'll have to tell him the truth, but we can also hide the truth in a Fidelius Charm. No one will suspect anything. And when Peter revokes the knowledge, no one will realise you are supposed to be injured.

"You are sure they will come after you?"

"100% positive." She said firmly.

"Then go and let him know and we can set it all up."

"You're doing great Jess."

"I'll give you a dollar if you stop saying that, Carol!"

"But you are."

"Doc, can't you do something for the pain, she doesn't really need-"

"Last time I offered she threatened to rip my balls off… I don't care how quick they grow back it still bloody well hurts!" Harry scowled at the anxious expectant father.

Luke had teleported in frantically when Jessica had gone into labour not 48 hours after Harry agreed to deliver the baby. The X-Mansion was now housing most of the Avengers, even Steve and Tony where getting along.

"How much longer then?"

"Maybe a half an hour."

"Oh god."

"You are such a – gnnnn – wuss!" Jessica said through gritted teeth.

"Erm, Jess, there's a reporter outside, says she's a friend and that you gave her the rights to an exclusive?" Steve asked as he came back in to the infirmary still in uniform.

Luke and Jessica shared a look. "Your call." Luke said.

"Someone get me a phone."

In short order an angry and in pain Jessica Jones was on the phone screaming at J. Jonah Jameson.

"What the hell is that about?" Harry asked Steve.

"Jessica did promise the exclusive but Jameson published a scathing and derogatory article about the Avengers and Luke. Don't you read the papers?"

"I really don't have the time. The girls usually fill me in on the important stuff." Harry said.

"Oh god! OH god! OH GOD!"

"Jess, is it a contraction?" Luke asked with panic.

"No! You're squeezing my hand too hard!" She winced.

"Oh, sorry."

"Don't you dare let go!" She snapped as he started to pull away.

"I love delivering babies!" Harry smiled widely at Steve.

Steve just nodded unsure of the super powerful being and took a step or two back.

He was saved by the arrival of Thor. "Am I too late?"

"No, Harry says we've got about ten to fifteen minutes left." Steve told him.

"Wonderful!" Thor boomed happily.

"Fifteen minutes?" Luke whined.

"Man up Cage." Carol snapped.

Outside the infirmary the rest of the Mansion was gathered with the other Avengers and waiting eagerly as more and more friends arrived.

"It sounds like pure torture." Laurie winced.

"I wish she would take the pain medicine Professor Harry offered." Megan fretted. "I might just need it myself if she doesn't."

"Jessica said she wanted a fully natural birth. It's really painful." Mary Jane told them.

"And women do this voluntarily?" Anole asked. "I'm tempted to see if Doctor Harry can make it so I never put a girl through that."

The gathered heroes and students gave a collective shudder as Jessica let out a long keening scream.

"The end result is very much worth the result." Mary Jane assured them.

"And so is the act that starts it all." Peter grinned. "OW!"

"More remarks like that and I'll be volunteering your services for the sex education classes." Mary Jane scowled.

"I am so glad I kept my mouth shut." Gambit muttered. "OW!" Unfortunately Rogue heard him.

"I want one of those darlings myself one day Cajun, so you better watch yourself. And I better not hear another word about offering it as a thanksgiving sacrifice to Harry." She glared at her lover.

"Whatever you say Cher." Gambit said hastily.

The doors suddenly opened and out walked a proud Luke Cage with a little bundle in his arms. "Guys, I'd like you to meet my daughter. Danielle."

There was a stampede of oestrogen as Luke was mobbed by women and girls wanting to see the newest addition to the world.

"She's so cute!" Megan gushed.

"I'm honoured!" Danny Rand the Iron Fist said with a tear in his eye.

Luke looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "What makes you think we named her after you?"

"LUKE CAGE! BRING MY BABY BACK HERE NOW!"

"Hark, I hear the angelic tones of new mother." Hank smirked.

Luke turned and marched back into the infirmary. "Woman! You can't be shouting at me in front our girl like that." He said loudly.

"You take my baby again and I'll do more than shout!"

"Maybe we should adjourn upstairs and allow them some privacy." Hank offered.

"Welcome to Asgard, Lord Potter." Came the booming voice of Odin. "It has been many years since you last drank mead in these Halls with me!"

"It has?"

Odin just laughed. "For me it has been many years since we last met. For you it will be many years till we first meet!"

"Your talking about that time travel stuff Thor told me about. See, I don't get it, I always said that time was one of the-"

"Three things you should not meddle in. Yes you told me this. But as you will also tell me, you have already meddled with Death and your father's Twinkies, so why not mess with time."

"I told you that?"

"Truth!" Odin boomed happily. "You also told me that you and I are caught in a loop. You meet me, I tell you of the first time I met you. Then you begin to experiment with time and eventually go back so I meet you for the first time and you tell me your many tales."

"That sounds… so very very complicated."

"Verily! T'was much easier to comprehend after three days and three nights of heavy drinking." He chuckled.

"I'm thinking we might need to try that again." Harry nodded as he rubbed his temple.

"Come my friend! Long have I awaited this day. I have much to tell you as you once told me. Not to mention introducing you to your wife… again!"

"Wife?!"

Harry spent three days with Odin and his apparent wife, Dani turned up on day two but as a former Valkyrie she was welcomed to drink with them. Lorna eventually arrived with Amara and hauled them back to Midgard… Earth.

It was a beautiful sunny day. The kids were in class, the professors where teaching them and Harry was taking the time to decompress as he lay under a tree on the mansion grounds.

After spending over ten million years alone with nothing to do, the recent excitement and activity had really taken a lot out of him. Harry had participated in a few of the classes, especially Logan's combat classes. With the Danger Room out of commission due to it gaining sentience shortly before M-Day, Logan had resorted to other tactics.

Fortunately David had come to the rescue with his Danger Cave. Not that Logan was too thrilled. He had big plans for having the students fight Harry in his dragon form.

"It is rare to see you at peace, Husband."

Harry cracked an eyelid and smiled softly at the sight of Brunnhilde standing there with the sun behind her. She definitely looked like an angel.

"Considering you know me from my future, it doesn't really bode well for me, does it?"

Brunnhilde took a seat next to him and leaned into him. He instinctively put his arms around her.

"Just because you rarely rested does not mean you weren't happy." She smiled contentedly. "It has been too long since I have been in your arms."

"We had a good marriage?"

"We have a good marriage, Harry."

"Even if I don't remember it?"

"For you the marriage has just begun. For me it started thousands of years ago. But don't worry, you manage to tease me mercilessly about the same things." She gave a light jab at his stomach with her elbow.

"I can live with that." Harry smirked. "I take it the other girls have finished grilling you?"

"Yes, but they were most insistent that you join our souls together. I told them that that was the plan you shared with me many millennia ago.

"So what were you thinking about before I arrived?" She asked after a few moments.

"Absolutely nothing." Harry smiled happily.

"Ah, a day off." She nodded in understanding. "We enjoyed those and you especially cherished them. Of course there was far less clothing involved back then." She teased.

"Sounds heavenly." Harry said as he nuzzled her hair and breathed her in.

"Harry, does Hank McCoy often have problems with drooling?" She asked suddenly.

"No, he seems to be pretty neat and clean. A little too neat at times."

"And he isn't known for… eating his team mates?"

"What are you- oh." Twenty feet away Beast was munching on the leg of Wolverine. "That can't be good."

"Oh thank you sir, thank you so much! That nasty monster kept chewing my leg!"

Harry and Brunhilde stared at Logan in disbelief. He was acting like a… pansy.

"I haven't had too much interaction with the X-Men but the Wolverine's reputation did not suggest he was so…"

"Wussy?" Harry offered. Behind them Beast was locked in a conjured cage and knocked out.

"Doctor Potter! You found them! Great!" Hisako called out as she ran up, behind her was Ruth aka Blindfold, who was walking much slower.

"You know what's going on, Hisako?" Harry asked.

"You mean besides Doctor McCoy turning into a mad beast, Professor Logan reverting to a scared little boy-"

"I am not scared! Howletts don't get scared!"

"Headmistress Frost acting like a bitch (not that there was too much difference) and Professor Pryde going off after a box in the basement to find her son (I didn't know she had one!)? Then no, I have no idea."

"I believe the term is smartass." Brunhilde smirked.

"Oh, and Professor Summers is a vegetable in the infirmary."

"You mean someone transfigured him?"

"No, I mean he's lying there with his eyes open and drooling." The young Asian girl nodded firmly.

"Ah yes. This is truly one of your days off, Husband." Hilde smirked.

"I didn't cause this! This all the X-Men's fault." Harry said defensively.

"And you are now inv- young girl, he is very dangerous!" Hilde called out suddenly as she jogged over to where Ruth was standing in front of Beasts cage.

"He's not awake." Ruth said disappointedly. "I can't help him if he isn't awake."

"You know what's wrong with him?" Harry asked the eyeless girl.

"His feral side has been brought out and his humanity repressed. Professor Summers said this would help." She said as she presented Harry with a metal box with the words 'Property of Hank McCoy' written on a label.

Harry opened the box to find a ball of red string.

"Is this going to distract him or put him back to normal?" Harry asked in confusion.

"I don't know. But if you can give it to him I can take Professor Logan and make him better."

"Alright. Hilde, can you go with Ruth and Hisako whilst I take care of Hank?"

"Of course Harry. Come children." She ordered.

"We are not children." Hisako groused.

"When you have lived for thousands of years, everyone less than a century old is a child to you."

"I can't wait to hear you say that to Logan and Frost." She snorted.

Harry sincerely hoped to be present at that event. But he focused his attention on Hank. He enervated the furry blue mutant. But it was obvious by the snarls and drool that he was not in his right mind.

"I really hope this works." Harry muttered as he levitated the ball of string into the cage.

He watched expectantly as Beast sniffed the ball carefully. Then poked it with a claw.

"Oh dear. I had hoped never to see this particular object again." Came the cultured tones of Henry 'Hank' McCoy.

"If it does its job then I say stuff it on the mantle piece for all to see." Harry remarked as he dispelled the cage.

"If you will excuse me for a moment, I believe I feel the pressing need for some clothes."

Harry was confused as Hank teleported out, but he shrugged it off in favour of seeing what was going on with Kitty. He assumed Brunhilde and Ruth would have Logan well in hand.

*BANG*

"Scott, who you shooting?" Harry asked as he watched Cyclops shoot at what appeared to be random empty spaces. Kitty and Piotr were just coming round nearby and there was a nasty mess of slimy goop on the floor.

"Just figments of my imagination." Scott said with a somewhat manic grin.

"Ok, just let me know if I am behind one of those figments." Harry shrugged.

"It's Emma. She's been taken over by an old nemesis, Cassandra Nova."

"Jean mentioned her. Something about being a super telepath stronger than her and possibly Xavier?"

"She was exiled into that slimy mess. But she left an implanted message in Emma's mind and this has caused Emma to turn on us."

"Ok, I thought it was strange to see a somewhat human soul in that thing." Harry conceded.

"Can you do something about that?" Scott asked hopefully.

"Sure, I can kill the soul. But not every thing that is intelligent needs a soul. Granted they are as evil as the devil but still."

"Are you saying Cassandra Nova can survive without a soul?" He asked worriedly.

"It's rare, but I have known it to happen." Harry rubbed his chin thoughtfully. He hadn't had to deal with something like this since some idiot witch decided to follow in Tom Riddle's footsteps. She had tried to split her soul but only succeeded in destroying it leaving Harry with the task of dealing with a soulless monster. Fire worked pretty well in those instances.

"I don't think fire is going to help." Scott frowned. Harry looked at him in shock. "You were muttering under your breath." Scott explained.

"Yeah… I suck at the mind arts. That said, I do have a powerful weapon. Go and see to those two whilst I deal with Emma." He indicated Piotr and Kitty.

"Ok Emma, lets see how Miss Nova handles a dragon." Harry said quietly as he stared into her eyes and attempted legillimancy on her.

Harry could see Emma's memories quite clearly, her whole life was laid out for him. That troubled him as it meant that Emma was preoccupied with Nova. Telepathy was rare in his universe, never really developing beyond what he and Neville had created in their school days. As such Harry had no true experience with these major powerhouses like Emma, Jean or Nova.

Harry had one major weapon in his mental arsenal. His dragon, but he only used it for defence.

Doing what he hadn't done for a long time he decided to wing it. He focused on the dragon that prowled his mind and attempted to push it into Emma's.

Emma screamed as she began to convulse.

"What's happening? What are you doing to her?" Scott demanded as he rushed back over.

"You know that dragon Emma said is in my mind? I just sent it into hers to try and deal with Nova." Harry said as he maintained eye contact. "Now shut up and let me work, I've never done this before!"

Scott then noticed that Harry was sweating. For a being that could conjure multi-storey shields of diamond and decapitate their arch-nemesis in a single swing, he had never seen Harry sweat.

His attention was taken away by the wall crashing down as Danger, the humanoid form of the old Danger Room's AI, and Ord of the Breakworld, who was intent on killing the X-Men, barrelled in with Hisako, Brunhilde, Wolverine and Beast hot on their tails.

Scott promised himself he would ask Hank later why he was wearing a suit.

Scott raised his gun as he heard Piotr shift forms but he was shocked when they were enveloped in a white light before appearing elsewhere surrounded by SWORD agents.

"Stand down X-Men!"

Scott groaned as he recognised Abigail Brand of SWORD. The green haired leader of Earth's first line of defence against extra-terrestrial threats was a thorn in his side.

"Why have you kidnapped us? Where are we?" Scott demanded as he kept his gun trained on Ord.

It wouldn't have mattered as Brunhilde had a foot lodged on his throat whilst Wolverine had his claws at Danger's throat.

"Quadrant Theta 669, on a sub-light arc for The Breakworld. And we didn't kidnap you."

"Taken against our will… sounds like kidnapping to me." Harry mused as he gently laid Emma down.

"ARRRRRGHH!" A nearby figure screamed in agony it appeared to be almost dinosaur like, like a pterodactyl.

"What are you doing to him?" Brand demanded as she drew her weapon pointed it at Harry.

"Me? I'm just an innocent bystander." Harry grinned.

"Stop what you are doing or I will put a bullet right between your eyes."

Brand was a not pleased when she heard laughing coming from the X-Men. "You think I'm joking? I told you before, I have to deal with the bigger picture, I have no problem putting your boy here down."

"I think they find it amusing that a pitiful little girl like you believes she could kill Death." Brunhilde smirked.

"I know all about his claims." Brand sneered. "Haven't seen much to back it up though."

"Go ahead. You have my permission to fire your gun." Harry said with an inclined head. "Scott and his team won't retaliate, will you Scott?"

"We won't." Emma spoke as she was helped to her feet by Scott. "But considering he just saved my life I will be very… annoyed."

"Well, I can live with that." Brand said as she fired her gun.

*BANG*

Brand was a little shocked when Harry just stood there. Not a mark on him.

"So you have unbreakable skin. Big deal, seen that before." She said as she lowered her gun.

"That weren't unbreakable skin, girl." Logan chuckled. "That was him healing faster than anyone I've ever met. Kid, mind if I demonstrate?" He asked as he brandished his claws.

Harry just shrugged and smiled.

Logan retracted all but one claw, which he sliced through Harry's neck as if to decapitate him. When Logan tried to push his head off and nothing happened he walked behind him and shoved three claws through his back and out his front.

"Are we done yet? We have a school to get back to. I believe Hisako has classes as do the X-Men." Harry sighed as he flicked the claws protruding from his chest.

"Everything dies." Brand snarled angrily.

"Don't I wish." Harry scoffed.

"A dragon ssssitsss in hisssss mind… it attacked me." The dino-bird hissed as it tried to stand up shakily.

"Well you did try to get in my mind uninvited." Harry retorted.

"Do so again and I will personally remove your head from your shoulders." Brunhilde warned. Nobody messed with her husband. That was her job.

"This is irrelevant." Brand spun away as she tried to regain control of the situation. "We have an invasion to stop."

"Invasion?" Scott asked as he began to follow Brand out of the room leaving Ord and Danger to the SWORD agents.

"You never wondered why Ord was always so eager to kill you people?"

"We thought he was from the same planet as you and stupidity was in the genes." Emma snarked.

"Ord comes from a warlike planet. They also have seers they call them 'The Augers', they predicted that an X-Man will destroy their world… The Breakworld."

"Do they have a name for this X-Man or were they simply intending to pick us off one by one?" Hank asked as he adjusted his bowtie.

They reached a room with a large digital table with some form of map and a huge screen on the wall. Brand moved between the screen and the table and began tapping at a control panel on the table as the X-Men sat in the seats.

Suddenly the wall screen showed an image of an X-Man.

"As you can see, The Augers have determined who will destroy the Breakworld." Brand said calmly. "I'm assuming you're as mystified by this as the rest of us, Mr. Rasputin?" She asked the metallic mutant.

"No. I'm not." Piotr stated, his face stern. "I have been planning to destroy the Breakworld since I was a child."

The X-Men turned to look at him in shock.

Harry was banging his head on a nearby wall.

Piotr rubbed his neck sheepishly. "This is why I don't make so many jokes. I never know when is good."

There was a stunned silence, which was eventually broken by Brunnhilde's laughter. "I believe my husband will be able to help you, Colossus. He is known as quite the jester amongst the Aesir."

"How quaint." Emma remarked. "Death has a sense of humour."

"Right. Great. Let's skip to why you are here." Brand sighed as she rubbed her temple agitatedly.

"You mean other than the kidnapping?" Hank asked mildly.

"We're not past that yet?"

"It was ten minutes ago." Kitty replied.

Brand decided to press on.

"As soon as the Augers identified the X-Man in question an Armada was sent towards Earth. I have just been informed that Ord broke free and has sent a message to The Breakworld. That Armada is now heading for us."

"Wow. You had him for what? Five minutes and you still managed to lose him? Even though we beat the crap out of him?" Logan scoffed.

"She planned it." Scott said quietly.

"I did."

"What kind of crappy plan is that?" Logan asked.

"A plan that takes the attention of the Armada off of Earth and onto us." Scott explained.

"Crappy plan… what happens when they are done with us? You think they're just gonna say 'Hey, we just took out that threat to our planet, let's go home and put our feet up'?" Harry said snidely.

"I didn't say we would just sit here and die." Brand retorted. "We are headed to the Breakworld to try and sort this mess out."

"The only way to ensure peace from a war like civilisation is to conquer them first." Harry said firmly.

"You speak from experience?" Hank asked.

"Yeah. We had goblins back home. First thing my adopted dad did was defeat their leader and set himself up as king. We never had to worry about another attack and they were very respectful of us."

"You didn't try to negotiate?" Scott asked with distaste.

"The only negotiation tactics a warlike race will respect are ones involving death and destruction."

"Like trying to negotiate with the Hulk." Logan grunted.

"So you expect this small group to successfully fight their way through an armada, infiltrate a planet full of warriors, fight our way to their leader, kill or defeat said leader and then hope that they will simply bow to our will?" Emma asked Brand.

"I hear you people have done harder things." She shrugged.

"Well, as one of the more reasonable minds on this crazy little adventure, I vote we turn this over to Harry." Beast offered.

"That would be my counsel as well." Brunhilde agreed.

"Your call Cyc." Logan shrugged. "I'm happy to follow either of you so long as I get to gut someone."

"I hate to burst your delusional little bubble but I am in command here." Brand said as she slammed her hand down on the table angrily.

Scott and his team just stared at her.

"Harry, you have any ideas?" Scott asked eventually.

"I just told you-"

"I love magic." Logan chuckled as he cut Brand off with a silencing charm. Even Scott was smirking at the sight of Brand ranting and trying to talk.

"Ok, current plan is fine except the teams are wrong. Small group infiltrations are fine but considering our resources I think we can do better." Harry said as he moved forward to stand in front of the X-Men. "If we want to do this right we need an army. We need to provide a true show of force. Logan, head back to Earth and round up Ben and Johnny. See if Reed and Sue are available as well."

"How do I get back to Earth?"

"Teleport."

"I can go that far?" Logan asked, his eyebrows rising in surprise.

"Yeah, it's how we did space travel in my world. We would send a team to fly in a shuttle as far as the nearest planet and then when they landed we would send another team to teleport out with supplies and fuel. The team that made the trip would return by teleportation and the new team would continue by flying. As long as someone had been there or knew someone who was out there we could teleport all over the galaxy."

"I think I love you man." Logan looked like he was about to cry at the thought of never being stuck on a noisy smelly plane again. But he teleported out whilst still seated.

"Kitty, see if any of the kids want some experience. Stay at home until I call in. I don't want them involved in a space fight. They will be ground teams."

Kitty looked to Scott and Emma. At Scott's nod she vanished.

"Emma, would you mind checking on the Avengers and seeing if they want to lend a hand?"

"Of course dear." She said before teleporting out.

"Piotr, round up anyone you think we might have missed."

"I may not be the best choice. Many people still think I am dead." Piotr pointed out.

"Allow me." Hank offered as he vanished.

"Brunhilde, perhaps you would care to see if Odin has any restless warriors looking for a good time?" He grinned at his apparent wife.

"Always so thoughtful, Husband." She smiled widely as she too left.

"Scott, anyone else you can think of?"

"We might want to leave some heroes back on Earth." Scott mused with a small smile.

"Well I wasn't planning on inviting Iron Man." Harry snorted.

*BANG*

Scott's hand went to his temple before he remembered he didn't need his visor anymore. Piotr transformed at the sound of the gunshot.

"Was that really necessary?" Harry asked as he repaired the bullet hole in his shirt.

Brand continued pointing her smoking gun at Harry as she pointed to her mouth.

Harry rolled his eyes and removed Logan's silencing charm.

"Yes?"

"Do not do that again." She hissed.

"I didn't, Logan did. You just remember that you kidnapped us. If I have my way I will have you brought up on charges for it when we get back."

"Good luck." Scott groused.

Brand's no doubt, scathing remark, was stopped before it started as one of her agents came rushing in.

"Agent Brand!" The look in his eyes was enough to tell Brand the news.

"Looks like your reinforcements are going to be late, Potter." Brand spat.

"They are currently waiting for my signal to join us. But it seems pointless to have them all teleport onto a vulnerable ship." Harry informed her.

"You have a plan, Harry?" Scott asked.

"We need a distraction whilst the ship makes it to the planet. I only need someone to touch down there and then we can all teleport across." Harry turned and grinned at Piotr.

"I do not like that smile." Piotr said with worried eyes.

"Tell me, Pete. You ever ridden a dragon in space?"

*Chapter 12*: Chapter 12  
Chapter 12

It was the craziest thing he had ever done.

Harry had cast a special spell on Piotr that he called the bubble-head charm. He had then phased him out of the ship.

Piotr had watched as the ship vanished from view.

So here he was floating in space whilst a vast armada bore down on him. He could see the ships cannons and lasers heating up.

Piotr closed his eyes as he prepared to face his death.

Again.

In space there is no sound. The lack of air means that there is nothing to carry vibrations. So Piotr floated there for several seconds in the silence waiting to feel the heat and impact. Curiosity got the better of him and what he saw shocked him.

Flying around the large ships was a huge dragon blasting liquid fire at anything that moved. He wasn't sure how the fire could survive in space but he chalked it up to magic.

"Pete, you gonna join in or you gonna let me have all the fun?" Came Harry's mental voice.

"Da, but I am stuck here!"

"Magic doesn't require air to fly and float. Just will it. Or even better, try a line-of-sight teleport. Look at what you want to teleport to and do it. Go for the engines, we don't need to kill all these people, just strand them out here so we can join the others."

Colossus glanced at the nearest cruiser. It was easily a thousand metres long. Each ship was made up of curvaceous triangles in a conical formation pointing forward. At the back of each structure were the engines. Glowing yellow lights that propelled them through space.

He focused and attempted the teleport.

Unfortunately he found himself standing on the nose of the ship staring at a confused bridge crew through the large viewing windows. He saw one of the aliens reach for a side arm to fire at him.

Colossus raised his arms to shield himself but nothing happened. He chanced another look and saw the captain of the vessel holding a weapon, the one who had tried to shoot him was dead. Obviously the Captain didn't want to expose the bridge to the dangers of space.

Colossus shrugged and then started walking to the rear of the ship.

"Pete, fly, I'll have taken out the rest of the fleet by the time you reach that engine by walking." Came Harry's laughing voice.

He looked up and saw six ships were already beginning list aimlessly as they had lost their engines. He focused on flying and began soaring down the length of the ship.

He wasn't sure how he was going to handle this. He couldn't rip the engines off as they were firmly embedded. But his armoured form could likely handle the heat so he stepped into the white-hot engines and began tearing away at whatever he could grab.

"I got nothing against the big guy, but I don't see him as a pin-up." Logan snorted as he and the rest of the team stared at the large mural that depicted Colossus destroying the Breakworld. It was crude, but unmistakeable.

They had landed safely thanks to Harry and Colossus' distraction, not to mention Harry making the ship invisible. Their destination had been a tomb known as the 'Palace of the Corpse'. It did not inspire hope. As soon as they arrived Scott began sending the mental signal and the reinforcements began to arrive, much to Agent Brand's annoyance. She soon found herself to be a little fish in a pool full of sharks. There was no way she could stand up to the X-Men, the Avengers, the Fantastic Four and other assorted heroes. That didn't even take into account the fact that Odin had arrived with a veritable army of Asgardian warriors.

They were currently outside as the X-Men along with the Fantastic Four examined the interior of the tomb.

"Just ain't fair. I don't even make the calendars back home but your tin man is an inter-galactic super star." Ben Grimm moaned.

"Well it don't leave much room for doubt." Wolverine commented. "Howzit work? Is that the sun?"

The image showed Colossus holding what appeared to be The Breakworld in his left hand and a yellow ball of light in his right. It definitely looked like the sun and he appeared to be using it against The Breakworld.

"Best guess." Cyclops shrugged.

"So what? Solar eclipse? Super nova?" Hisako asked.

"Very likely Miss Ichiki." Beast acknowledged. "High marks for the stowaway student."

"I'm not… I have a new…"

"She's called Armour." Wolverine spoke up. "She's our new teammate."

"Oh it's lovely. God knows the team's going to need some new blood." Emma drawled.

"Did he teach you the handshake?" Cyclops asked glibly.

"Kid's earned her spot." Wolverine stated firmly.

"Woohoo! Haven't had that much fun in ages!" They spun around to find Harry and Colossus had just arrived and clearly still hyped up on adrenalin.

"Da! Much fun! Must do it again!" Colossus beamed.

"Jeeze! Rub it in why don't ya!" Ben pouted. "First he gets his mug in the centrefold and now he has all the kicks doing… wait, what was he doing?"

"Blowing up alien armada!" Colossus said loudly still riding high.

"ALIEN ARMADA! What the hell? You couldn't have brought me along?"

"Next time, friend. I bring you myself." Colossus promised.

"I'll be holding you to that, ruskie."

"Did a five year old draw that?" Harry asked as he examined the mural of Colossus. "I swear Jean could do better… hell! Danielle could do better."

"I believe these people are warriors, Harry. Not artisans." Beast pointed out.

"Meh. So, what now? Conquer the planet and then call it a day?" Harry asked.

"If you had waited to hear the rest of my plan-"

"We would now be splattered across half the system." Harry interrupted Brand's rant. "Get to the point and stop bitching or I'll drop you back home and we'll handle this my way."

Agent Brand had to force herself from drawing her gun and firing at the egotistical idiot. Sure, he had power, some decent plans and plenty of allies. But he also had a knack for pissing her off.

"The Breakworld is lead by a vicious warlord named Kruun, known as the Power Lord. He has ordered a failsafe built which is the size of a large moon. We should split up."

"At last, something we can agree on." Beast smiled.

"You and Richards are coming with me."

"And so ends that era."

"You and Richards are the Science Squad. I need the nerd patrol available in case we need to disarm it."

"You know she's right, Hank." Reed said.

"Alas, yes." Beast sighed. "Though it pains me greatly to admit it."

"Would it help if I said I was coming with?" Harry asked.

"Would you be willing to 'pop a claw in her eye' in Logan's place?" He asked hopefully.

Harry looked at Logan curiously.

"She is seriously pissing me off." He shrugged.

"Hank, you know I can come up with much more effective ways to annoy her." Harry grinned.

"I suppose, but there is something absolutely satisfying about hearing someone scream as their eyeball goes pop." Hank sighed with melancholy.

"Wow… you must really hate her guts." Ben remarked.

"Moving this little discussion along… Let's go address the troops." Harry interrupted, he decided not to point out his own father's nightmares on that subject.

Brand instantly began marching outside leaving the others to follow behind her. Milling about in the beating sun were the various heroes and warriors who had answered Harry's call.

"If I can have your attention please!" Brand called out loudly.

The first few people nearby looked up at her curiously before returning to their conversation. The rest didn't even blink. Mostly because there were over one hundred people and they probably couldn't hear her.

"I SAID CAN I HAVE YOUR ATTENTION?!"

"Perhaps if you were to address the individual you seek by name they would answer you." Thor offered with a wry smile.

"I'm addressing all of you." She sneered.

"You are?" Luke Cage asked.

"Yes!"

"Well… who the hell are you?"

She tried to ignore it, she really did. But the sounds of giggling from behind her were scratching her last nerve.

"Lord Death, you know this wench?" Baldur asked Harry.

"Wench! God I love it!" Logan laughed hysterically as he leaned on Hank gasping for breath.

"Take a seat Brand, this is not your show." Harry tried to be serious but this was too much fun.

"This is my mission, Potter."

"Yes, but these are my friends. You want their help you have to play by their rules. Otherwise you can go and complete your mission on your own."

"It would be wise for you to heed his advice, child." Odin spoke up with a smile. "The warriors of Asgard will not follow just anyone."

Agent Brand growled as she clenched her fist. She then pivoted and stormed off to the side away from the rest of the X-Men.

Harry smiled and cast a charm that enabled everyone to hear him. He had long since modified the Sonorus charm as the excessive volume was excessively annoying.

"Friends! Heroes! Countrymen! Lend me your ears!"

"I believe he has used this speech before, Father." Thor said quietly to Odin.

"For us, yes. For him it is his first time." Odin smiled.

"We are here on this planet to defeat an evil foe who seeks to attack us without warning. These people claim to be warriors but they attacked from the shadows like assassins!"

The warriors of Asgard booed and hissed.

"If I am to die and see my friends die I would have them stand and face me with honour that I might see their eyes and know them before I go."

This was greeted with shouts and cheers and the sound of spears hitting shields.

"We shall defend our planet, whatever the cost may be, we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds…"

"It doesn't have quite the same impact as the first time he made this speech." Baldur remarked from behind Odin and Thor as Harry paused, Brunhilde had rushed up and was whispering in his ear.

"I have?"

Brunhilde nodded.

"When?"

"…"

"Bloody hell." Harry exclaimed quietly, despite the fact that everyone could hear him. "Sorry folks, seems I gave this speech before… or will again… for the record, time travel should not be contemplated when sober!"

The entire contingent of X-Men and Avengers were startled when the warriors of Asgard gave a combined "Here, here!"

"Harry, you do realise you just quoted Caesar and Winston Churchill?" Hank asked.

"Well yeah! If you're gonna quote someone, quote the best!"

"Harry… your plan?" Scott prompted.

"Huh? Oh, right!" Harry said as he spun around to face the assembled fighters. "The plan is simple, the X-Men will be coming with me to deal with whatever the failsafe is. You bunch of bloodthirsty warriors will head straight to the capital. Put down anything that stands in your way but avoid needless engagements with civilians. When you reach the leader of this planet, Kruun, do not kill him or his people, just contain them and wait for me."

"What! Surely they must die Lord Death?" Tyr demanded.

"Peace my child." Odin warned. "Lord Death wishes to take this planet, they are warriors. They will only respect someone who they see defeat their leader."

"What? You're not gonna take the planet for yourself?" Agent Brand still hadn't learnt tact… or when to shut up.

"I am the King of Asgard, that is my place. Why would I seek to abandon my people?" He asked with a pointed look.

"So you're just going to let him conquer the universe one planet at a time?" She sneered.

"'Let him'?" Odin laughed. "My child, I will be at his side when he calls for me!"

"And it won't be a planet at a time." Brunhilde smirked. "More like systems and galaxies at a time."

"Actually, he won't conquer them in the traditional sense." Odin mused thoughtfully. "Many will simply flock to his banner."

"You are blinded by his hyperbole." Brand scoffed as she stormed off.

Harry had just watched the exchange. He had always planned to conquer Earth, after a fashion. Really he would simply annihilate the governments economically. By removing their influence. Without money to worry about there would be little for a government to do. Managing a planet was hard enough, he really didn't want to deal with the headache of ruling a universe.

He shook off his thoughts and brought himself back to the matter at hand. "Ok, Odin is in charge of this battle. Remember the rules of war, especially the first one!" Harry ordered before he turned back to the X-Men and they headed off.

"What rules?" Luke asked.

"When Lord Death was but a young boy, his father taught him the rules of war." Odin explained. "Rule one is: Don't die."

"One that soldiers all to often break." Captain America sighed.

"Too true." Odin agreed. "But Lord Death merely becomes annoyed with us for giving him more work to do when he fixes us up." He grinned.

"Do you have to call him 'Lord Death'?" Luke grimaced.

"That is who he is." Tyr frowned, she didn't understand the confusion.

"Do not worry my friend, the mortals of Midgard are not as familiar with the Aspect and still fear what he is." Thor explained.

"No, it just sounds really creepy when you call him that." Luke corrected.

"As I said." Thor smirked.

The army of warriors marched towards the city in the distance. The land was barren and desolate except for the approaching pair of female natives. One was dressed in simple linen garments and appeared somewhat submissive to the taller woman who was dressed in slightly more colours and sported various pieces of metal on her outfit like fashionable armour that offered little protection.

"Stand aside citizen." Thor ordered. "We seek no conflict with any but Power Lord Kruun and those that support him."

"My name is Aghanne, and this is Daffi. We seek an alliance and an audience with the one known as Colossus." The taller one spoke respectfully.

"Our brother Colossus is not here. How do you know of him?"

There was a slight pause and a flicker of an unreadable expression across Aghanne face. "He is the one prophesied to destroy the Breakworld. It is important that I find him. Could you direct me to him?"

"I speak on behalf of Colossus, at his behest." Brunhilde spoke up as she stepped forward. "You may speak to me as though you were speaking to him." She had alerted Harry mentally and now Emma was in her head connecting her team to Brunhilde so they could see through her eyes.

"I may only speak with Colossus." Aghanne declined.

"Then you have failed your mission. Now stand aside and impede us no longer." Thor ordered, he didn't wait as he began marching off.

"We have sick and wounded." Aghanne tried.

Thor and the army kept marching though Odin and Brunhilde stayed where they were.

"Our brother, Colossus, is a warrior, not a healer." Brunhilde pointed out.

"And he is the only one who can defeat Power Lord Kruun and save my people."

"There is always another way, child." Odin said sternly. "Even now the warriors of Midgard and Asgard march to dispatch Kruun." He indicated the marching army that was passing by them. "Colossus and his brothers have another mission they must attend to."

"You refer to the Retaliator pointed at your planet." Aghanne smiled softly, but not kindly.

"Not my planet, but the planet of my friends and allies. If you know of a threat to Earth then you should speak quickly." Odin scowled as he advanced on the tall green skinned female.

Aghanne just smirked. "Then perhaps you will reconsider bringing Colossus to me."

"Tell me, do you know what a telepath is?" Brunhilde asked.

"Foul beings that are destroyed at birth." She spat.

"On your planet, yes. On Earth there are quite a few. One of the more powerful ones stands behind you." She smiled.

Aghanne paled as she span around. It wasn't the white skinned woman that caught her attention, no. It was the excessively large reptile with liquid fire dripping from its mouth that froze her to the spot.

Daffi fell to her knees in fear.

"Do you have what we need, Emma?" Harry asked in his gravelly voice.

"I do." Emma frowned. "It is quite disturbing, to say the least."

"Do tell, my child." Odin encouraged.

"She knows nothing of the failsafe weapon except it exists. But she was the one who created the prophecy. She carved the mural of Colossus and controls their pre-cogs. She wants this world destroyed."

"FOUL CREATURE!" Aghanne screamed as she leapt at Emma.

She was intercepted by a blast of liquid fire.

"That was unfortunate." Brunhilde sighed.

"Oh?" Harry asked as he shifted back to human form.

"We might have been able to get more information from her."

"I dumped everything she ever knew into Harry's head." Emma informed them.

"Yeah, thanks for that by the way." Harry said sarcastically.

"You have so much space I assumed you could handle it." She shrugged.

"What of this one?" Brunhilde indicated Daffi.

"She wants nothing more than to make this a better world for people to live in." Emma answered.

"Daffi, take me to your people and I will heal your sick and injured." Harry ordered.

"My friend, I do not believe she can answer." Odin laughed. "She has withdrawn inside herself at your display of power."

"We should focus on our priorities first." Emma cautioned. "We must discover the nature of the failsafe and neutralise it."

"Wise council." Odin agreed. "Brunhilde and I will rejoin Thor and the army."

The X-Men had split into two teams, Beast had gone with Agent Brand to attempt to infiltrate the base beneath the failsafe which was being built on a small moon. They decided that a small team would be easier to slip in especially as Beast had access to magical powers.

The rest had boarded the SWORD ship and headed to the moon directly.

As they got closer they had the horrific realisation that the moon was something else.

"Aw come on Stretch, let me say it! You know the kid is gonna try and beat us to it." Ben whined. He was currently piloting one of the Fantastic Fours ships that Harry had teleported into the area for them.

"It's juvenile and puts us at risk of being detec-"

He was interrupted by the radio crackling to life.

"If anyone says-" Emma's voice was suddenly interrupted.

"That's no moon… that's a space station!"

Silence followed the British tones of Alec Guinness' delivery of the famous Star Wars line.

"You see, you wouldn't let me say and they went and spoilt it with a recording."

"That wasn't a recording." Came Emma's annoyed voice.

"It was very accurate." Reed commented.

"Considering Obi Wan is sitting here next to us, it's not that surprising." Scott's amused voice came through.

"Huh?" Ben intelligently inquired.

"Harry is a shape shifter." Scott explained.

"See Stretch? Not only did you prevent me from getting there first but they also got to see Obi Wan say it!"

"I'm picking up small ships, probably fighters on approach." Johnny reported.

"Dah! I have been looking forward to this again!" Colossus said excitedly.

"What does he mean?" Reed asked.

"Take a look out the window and see." Kitty sighed in aggravation.

Outside they could see Colossus and a huge dragon laying into the small fighters. The dragon was batting the ships around with it's claws and wings whilst Colossus would ram them.

"Don't wait for us." Came Harry's mental voice. "We'll catch up."

"Hey! You promised!" Ben wailed.

Johnny had to leap for the controls as Ben vanished.

"IT'S CLOBBERING TIME!" Ben's mental voice screamed in their heads as they watched The Thing join in the carnage.

"I BELIEVE WE SHOULD BE LEAVING NOW!" Beast yelled over the howling wind.

He and Brand had been heading to the base beneath the failsafe when a huge snowstorm erupted in front of them. Brand quickly explained that this was a weapon employed by Kruun.

"JUST START DIGGING!" She yelled back.

Beast couldn't see the logic in staying put. By the time the storm passed – if the storm passed – the X-Men would have reached the failsafe itself and Odin and the army should have taken the capital. He didn't respond except to grab Brand's arm and teleport to Odin. There were enough brains with the X-Men that he could be more useful should the army encounter a more intellectual problem.

They arrived to find pure carnage. There were scattered bodies everywhere and all of them natives of the Breakworld.

Thor's mighty roar could be heard in concert with the impact of his hammer as bodies went flying. Groups of Asgardian warriors could be seen engaging groups of native guards.

Luke Cage and Captain America fought side by side as they ploughed through what appeared to be civilians.

"Why did you bring us here?" Brand demanded.

"Would you believe I craved a fight?"

"We need to get to that base!"

"The others will have that well in hand. We should remain here so that we can lend assistance as there are no experts on alien cultures or science here." Beast pointed out. "Besides, I have missed my time amongst the Avengers." He grinned as he turned and bounded off towards Captain America.

Brand growled in irritation before she was splattered in alien blood from behind. She spun around to find an Asgard warrior standing over a decapitated enemy.

"Thou should'st save thy pondering for after the battle!" He cried before turning away and wading back into the battle.

Brand spun around and began fighting her way to Beast. If she was going to get dragged along into this crazy mission she would enjoy the view whilst doing so.

"I can't find any uplink to the missile." Reed reported as his the other members of the team fended off the attacking Breakworlders.

They had successfully breached the fighter barricade and landed on the space station that housed a giant planet sized missile aimed at the Earth. Reed had hacked into the computer systems but he was unable to find any way to stop the missile.

"What can you find?" Sue asked as she maintained her force field to protect her husband.

"This 'moon' is being kept in place by orbital thrusters. They are constantly firing to maintain its target on Earth."

"But you can't access the missile's own navigational systems?"

"It's as if there are no direct connections what so ever."

"Darling, if you can access the orbital thrusters then point this thing in the opposite direction. If this thing fires then at least it will give us more time to deal with it if turns around and heads back to Earth." She advised.

"Yeah, whilst you do that I'll go and see what I can find inside the missile." Kitty agreed.

"I already tried phasing magically." Emma said. "This metal seems to be resistant to magic."

"I can do it with my natural mutant abilities." Kitty explained.

"Take me with you." Colossus instructed.

"I can't. There is something about this planet's metal. It's making me sick. I doubt I will be able to make it out the same way I got in." She said sadly.

"Then I will stay in contact." Emma declared. "As soon as you reach your destination we will have Nightcrawler teleport to your location."

Kitty quickly began phasing through the space station and into the missile. It was hard going as she hadn't been kidding when she said the planet's metals made her sick. She was already running a temperature.

"Kitty, are you there yet?"

"Are you going to keep asking that?" Kitty asked snidely. Emma had now asked her four times. "I swear, if I could I would turn this car around!"

"You have been gone for almost twenty minutes, Katya." Colossus chimed in.

"I told you this planet-" *BOOM* "What was that?!" Kitty demanded as the whole 'moon' seemed to shake.

"It would appear that Harry got bored of taking out the Breakworlders one by one." Emma reported. BOOM"He has taken to magically blasting large sections of the moon off along with the enemy."

"As long as he remembers I'm still in- oh crap."

"Katya! What is wrong?" Colossus asked worriedly.

"This missile doesn't have any guts! It's completely solid except for a hollow room at the top with nothing but smooth shiny-"

Kitty was thrown to the nearest surface as the missile began to shake, the same with the rest of the team on the surface of the space station.

Outside Harry, Armour and Cyclops watched as the missile blasted out from the middle of the space station and into space.

"It doesn't have any thrusters or boosters." Armour commented.

"Why would it? A solid metal object with a hollow tip fired with absolute precision. It's not a missile. It's a bullet." Cyclops said ominously.

"And last time I checked, Earth doesn't come supplied with a bullet proof vest." Harry sighed.

"Do we have a plan?" Armour asked.

Any answer was interrupted as Colossus teleported in followed by Emma, and the rest, he was clearly agitated.

"Harry! Katya, she is in the missile!"

"Really? She made it? That's great, let's join her." Harry smiled.

Harry stood there trying to teleport but frowned when he couldn't.

"We did try that." Emma rolled her eyes.

"Weird, there must be some magic blocking me or an energy field."

"I did detect mystical energy readings whilst I was trying to stop the missile- bullet." Reed confirmed.

"Alright, stay here. I'll have to handle this solo." Harry said before he refocused his magic and practically bulldozed his way through the magical barrier protecting the bullet.

"Hey Kitty, nice ride you have here. Didn't feel like springing for the convertible?" Harry quipped as he pulled Kitty off the floor of the bullet's hollow tip.

"Can we stop this thing?" Kitty scowled.

"Probably."

"Then save your jokes till we've finished." She warned.

"As you wish." Harry conceded. "Magic is going to be a problem. This metal seems fairly resistant to it, but not as much as Cessily's skin."

"So you can't do anything?"

Harry took on a look of mock offense. "I can do plenty!"

"About the damned rocket!"

"Bullet."

"WHATEVER!"

"Ever seen the movie Armageddon?"

"You want to blow it up from the inside? How? Can we get that much explosives?"

"Would a couple of nuclear missiles do the trick?"

"This is over my head… we need the others." Kitty sighed.

Harry teleported the X-Men and Fantastic Four to their location.

"I thought you couldn't teleport through." Kitty asked them.

"We didn't." Emma said with a raised eyebrow at Harry. "Is there a particular reason for bringing us onto this one way death trip?"

"Harry wants to use nuclear missiles to blow up the bullet." Kitty explained.

"There are other alternatives." Reed offered.

"Like?" Harry asked.

"We could send it into the Negative Zone."

"What's that?"

"A dimension which is negatively charged as opposed to ours which is positively charged."

"Is it inhabited?"

"Possibly."

"Next option!" Harry said, clapping his hands decisively.

"I could try phasing this bullet." Kitty offered.

"Katya! That could kill you!" Piotr objected.

"Or I could leave it and let it destroy Earth." She countered.

"Doesn't matter, we still have to worry about where it goes after it passes through Earth." Harry dismissed the idea quickly.

"Did you manage to alter the trajectory?" Scott asked Reed.

"Only by one degree before it fired." Reed admitted. "It will still clip the Earth at the worst."

"Do we know what path it will take?"

"Without my equipment I couldn't say."

"Magic people! Why don't we just head back to your lab and find out? All we need is for someone to stay here as an anchor point." Harry pointed out.

"I'll stay, I've survived this much." Wolverine shrugged.

"It's not a death trip, Logan. I can easily beam you out and I still have plenty of time to blow this thing from the inside." Harry reminded.

"The X-Men can remain here."

"Not Katya. She is sick." Piotr objected from where he was supporting the ailing Shadowcat.

"Oh… sorry, was kind of preoccupied." Harry said as he waved a hand at her.

Kitty suddenly felt much better. "What did you do?"

"Boosted your immune system. Nothing else, but if you find yourself feeling ill again, try surrounding yourself in a shield."

By the time Harry and the Fantastic Four returned to the bullet, they had determined that the bullet's trajectory would have it miss Earth but hit the moon. Considering the moon's significant effects on the Earth they decided that was not a good thing either. They had simply exchanged one disaster for another.

Reed had been able to establish that if the bullet was phased through the moon it would travel into deep space for many millennia. So everyone but Kitty and Harry left the bullet as it neared the moon.

In orbit around the Earth seated in a position between the planet and incoming bullet sat the SWORD space station on which was assembled many of the remaining heroes of Earth who where not on The Breakworld.

"She can really phase something that big?" Spiderman asked Professor Xavier worriedly.

"This will be her first attempt at something quite so large. But I have faith."

"Then why are we here?"

"In case my faith is not enough." He smiled sadly. "Should the moon be destroyed, our first task will be to handle any rock and parts of the moon heading for the surface."

"Ok, but what about the gravitational issues? The tides will get thrown out of whack. There will be a tidal wave so intense that the entire planet will be flooded. It will be Noah's Ark all over again!"

"I believe I can stabilise the planet's gravitational fields until Lord Harry or someone else can implement a more permanent solution." Dr. Strange offered.

"You 'believe'?" Spiderman asked, the tone of his voice was one of terror.

Dr. Strange just gave him a small smile and a shrug.

As they approached Earth's solar system Harry teleported everyone but himself and Kitty off of the bullet. Harry would stay behind and continuously heal and refresh Kitty so she could phase the bullet long enough.

It was a very painful experience for Kitty as she seemed to react to the metal badly. It took just over a minute to pass through the moon but it was still very taxing.

"Ok, let's get you out of here." Harry said as he went to pick up Kitty. He was surprised when his hands went through her.

"Oh god! I can't unphase!" She cried.

Harry tried again, this time phasing himself.

"Oh thank god."

"You are still phased." Harry warned. "I just put myself in the same phase as you. Let's get you back to the mansion so I can go clean up Breakworld. Then I promise I'll get to work on you."

"Odin, you bored already?" Harry asked as he teleported in next to the King of the Asgardians. They seemed to have successfully subdued the natives and Odin was resting comfortably in a large throne in what was obviously the throne room.

"Indeed, this pitiful excuse for a warrior and leader was quick to fall into pleading and bargaining when it was clear we had bested him." Odin snarled as he aimed sharp kick at the hog-tide Kruun's butt. "Even more despicable that he kept throwing his men at us and refused to fight himself. My son was most put out."

True enough, Thor stood sulking in the corner. "Was to be a battle sung of in the halls of Valhalla, instead it was merely a fishing trip with my father that we shall laugh about later."

"Relax Big Guy." Harry smiled. "I promise to call you in for the next big battle."

"I shall hold you to your promise, Uncle." Thor warned with a smile.

"You're on the list behind Ben Grimm."

"The Thing? Ha! Truly a man after my own heart. His blood sings for battle as true as any warrior of Asgard." Thor boomed.

"I think he could use a better battle cry." Sif grimaced slightly.

"Nay, my child." Odin spoke. "His cry doth speak of his heart's love of life and battle. That he can form his words and not be a slave to the lust of battle speaks to his control."

"His battle cry?" Harry asked.

"IT'S CLOBBERIN' TIME!"

Harry took a step back as they all bellowed The Thing's catchphrase at him.

"That's his catchphrase?" Harry asked. "Guess it's better than my Dad's."

"Which was?" Luke Cage asked.

"SAVE THE TWINKIES!"

"Twinkies?"

"He had a thing for snack treats… of course I later, regrettably, learned that he was referring to his second wife's… assets." Harry admitted.

"Assets?" Thor asked.

"Ahem." Luke Cage coughed and gestured around his chest as discreetly as possible. Which wasn't very.

"I never forgave his first wife for telling me that." Harry groused.

"Perhaps we should move things to their conclusion before I am forced to reveal why your father's first wife revealed that information." Brunhilde smirked.

Harry looked at her in horror. "I told you?"

She just smiled.

"Moving on!"

Harry stood with Odin and Thor on a grand balcony that overlooked a wide road that stretched out into the capital. It was filled with the citizens of The Breakworld.

At Harry's feet, on his knees was Kruun, deposed Power Lord of The Breakworld.

Harry had a sonorous charm on, a standard one as he wanted the effect, he was going to put the fear of Death into these people.

"Listen up you worthless pieces of scum. I am your new Lord. I have defeated your leader and his armies. I have thwarted your attack on my world…"

"I always wondered how Harry would do this." Thor muttered to his father. "I certainly imagined him to be less… blood-thirsty."

"Remember the stories of how his father conquered the goblins of his own world. Lord Death knows well how to handle these types of people." Odin reminded him.

"… one insignificant pebble floating towards myself or my allies and I will destroy this planet myself." Harry continued on. "You want to fight? Fine, you can find willing opponents amongst yourselves or you can wait till I need an army and you will be on my list of people to call after Lord Thor."

"Ah, good. He remembered me."

"Be sure you remember your brethren in the halls of Asgard." Odin warned with a smirk.

"I won't be here checking on you everyday, but remember that if I find you have caused trouble on this planet, my planet, I will do this to you!"

Harry conjured his lightsabre and proceeded to hack off all of Kruun's limbs as he screamed in agony.

"I will leave you to live your lives like this." Harry snarled. "But if you are loyal and obey my rules you will find my favour and receive rewards beyond the likes of this!"

Harry vanished his lightsabre and began to re-grow Kruun's limbs. Kruun and the Breakworlders stared in amazement.

There was a loud thud as every citizen including Kruun fell to their knees in supplication.

"He is very effective."

"Now you know why we have never had any real problems with the Frost Giants in several millennia." Odin chuckled as Harry rejoined them.

"Dammit! Always with the bowing." Harry grumbled.

"It can't be that bad." Thor offered.

Harry just scoffed. "Every time I come back here no one will look me in the eye, everyone will waste my time with honorific's like 'My Lord' or 'Great and Glorious One'. It will be worse than when I first met Dobby. God forbid they ever learn my full name!"

"I could inform them if you like." Odin teased.

"Don't you dare!"

*Chapter 13*: Chapter 13  
Chapter 13

Harry was unable to help Kitty un-phase. So he took the shorter route of cloning her a new body and transferring her soul to it. She had quickly grabbed Piotr and run off to investigate her fresh, new, scar-free body.

She returned the next morning and kicked Harry in the balls for not telling her that her hymen would still be intact again… that had been an uncomfortable shock for both her and Piotr.

Preparations had been made for Spiderman to reveal his secret identity as Peter Parker. Mary Jane and Aunt May were all packed up and moved in by the rest of Harry's soul mates whilst the others were on Breakworld.

When Harry returned he was greeted with a great deal of hugging and cheek pinching from May Parker. She was overjoyed to meet the man who had done so much to help her nephew and his wife. Emma had been a bit annoyed at not being consulted but she didn't have any real arguments so the matter was not brought up beyond various glares directed at Harry.

Peter was fairly freaked out when he arrived at the kitchens the following morning to find his Aunt had shed nearly forty years of age. And that she was happily preparing food with the staff and using magic. He nearly had to call in sick from work as he tried to cope.

Harry had arranged for another interview with Trish and this time he was going to do a bit of show-and-tell, he was bringing Josh along as well.

"Once again, we are here with Doctor Potter and one of his students Josh Foley." Trish told the viewers as she held her microphone and spoke to the camera. "We are standing here on the pre-op ward at the New York Presbyterian Hospital. Doctor why did you ask us to meet here?" She was honestly curious. Harry had appeared in her room and told her that if she could get the airtime he had a story as big as Death living in New York.

"I'm going to show you just what all those bigots who hate mutants are going to miss out on if they keep up their attitude. Josh here, is going to show you what the rest of the world is going to miss out on if they don't smack the bigots down and stand up for their neighbours regardless of whatever extra abilities they might have."

Harry then turned and addressed the ward full of male patients.

"Gentlemen, my young friend here is a mutant. He has the power to heal nearly anything, doesn't matter if it is a sniffle or pancreatic cancer, he can fix it. Is there anyone here willing to try his powers and provide a demonstration for the world?"

There was a stunned silence, Trish was staring at Josh, gobsmacked. It took a few seconds before her producer in the studio pulled himself together and began shouting in her ear.

"I'll take any help I can get." A middle aged white male asked.

"Excellent!" Harry grinned as he dragged Josh over to the patient. "What's your name sir?"

"Alfred Minkle."

"And your ailment?"

"Kidney failure, I'm on the list but if you can heal me someone else can have the kidney listed for me." He shrugged weakly.

"Josh, do your thing." Harry said as he ushered the golden skinned boy into his place.

Josh was clearly nervous. He had gotten used to healing wounds as he had been doing it all night during the Nimrod incident, but he was doing this on live TV… he just hoped the guys back at the Mansion wouldn't hassle him.

"Just relax, sir. This should only take a few moments." Josh tried to reassure the man. It was something that Dr. McCoy and Dr. Grey had been teaching him, patients were nervous creatures, like the deer in the woods, you had to approach softly and not spook them.

The entire world watched as a young boy miraculously healed a man on live TV.

"How do you feel?" Josh asked.

"Hungry!" Alfred chuckled.

"A sure sign of health." Harry joined him. "Doctor Marks is going to run some tests to confirm it and then you'll be good to go."

They left the man and returned to the centre of the ward as Alfred was happily thanking them.

"He's really healed?" Trish asked, still not believing it.

"Fit as a fiddle." Harry shrugged. "He should be out of here by tomorrow morning… or as soon as they finish the tests."

"But not all mutants can do this, though. Wouldn't Josh be run ragged if he were to try and heal everyone here?"

"Yep. He'd never be able to heal even half the people on this ward."

"Then what was the point of this demonstration?" She asked curiously.

"To show just the sort of things that mutants can do. I have several students that are capable of serving in the fire department simply because they can enter burning buildings with no risk to themselves or can actually control fire. Think of how many people could have been saved if mutants didn't have to hide because small minded idiots want them dead."

"But there aren't that many mutants left, only a few hundred according to recent surveys. Surely any mutants with these powers wouldn't be able to handle the whole of New York, let alone the world."

"No, they wouldn't, but mutants are a genetic evolutionary step. Their numbers will rise again and those people will be out there looking to live their lives like all regular humans. Wouldn't you rather they were happily healing the sick or saving people, generally making the world a better place. But if they keep being persecuted, maybe they will just… keep those amazing powers to themselves… leaving people like Alfred to suffer needlessly.

"Mutants are going to be the first people I make into Magical beings. I can heal everyone on this ward from where I am standing now." He told her as he pointed to his feet. "A team of five magical healers can heal anything on the human body. They can re-grow limbs, organs, heal diseases… " Harry suddenly grinned at her… Trish was suddenly very nervous. "How would you like to be the first person to take a step towards clearing up the organ shortage?"

"I… I…"

"All you have to do is lie down on a bed and relax. You will be completely awake."

"I don't think we have time today." Trish said a little hastily.

"You've seen what I can do Trish, you've seen me do some amazing stuff. Trust me. In ten minutes time we can have ten people with organs waiting for them… if you are willing to help them." Harry said sincerely as he held out a hand to her.

Trish was beginning to sweat, she could feel it droplets running down her back; this was not what she signed up for! When they were off the air she was going drag Harry into the nearest private room and kick him in the balls! She was on live TV! There was no way she could refuse!

"Ok, let's do this." She said as she began psyching herself up.

"Ok, take off your jacket, you're wearing a short-sleeved shirt?"

Trish was trying so hard not to tremble that she could only nod as she handed the microphone to Josh and began removing her suit jacket, which she eventually handed to Josh as well.

"Hey Doc, you can use my bed." Alfred called out as he began to lever himself onto his feet.

"Thanks Alfred." Harry replied.

Harry took Trish's arm and led her over to the bed and had her lay down before conjuring some large pillows behind her so she could sit up slightly.

Harry turned to look into the camera. "Ok, I am about to open Trish up. If you are squeamish then I recommend turning away, I'll call out when we are all done." He told the viewers.

He then turned back to Trish. "Normally we would be in a private room and you would have a team of four or five magicals of the same gender as you doing this, mainly because I'd have removed your top, but we need some modesty for the public so I'm going to make your shirt stick to your chest, I'll repair it later." He promised.

Trish was completely pale at this point but she just sat there silently praying.

She watched in morbid fascination as Harry began cutting into her chest.

"As you can see there is no bleeding, the magic takes care of that, it also takes care of ensuring that the rest of the body functions normally and that there is no pain. Can you feel anything, Trish?"

"N-No… not a thing." She said, she was in absolute awe as he caused her ribs to detach from her exposed sternum and bend back revealing her heart and lungs. "This is really happening?"

"You can touch it if you like, magic is helping to keep you healthy."

She hesitantly reached out to touch one of her exposed ribs that were pointing in the air as though she had been opened like a cardboard box. It was warm and slippery, coated with her own blood. She slowly moved to touch the life-giving organ that was pumping quickly, a sure sign of her nervousness.

"Doctor, is that wise?" Doctor Marks asked quickly.

"Don't worry, magic is tricking the body into believing everything is normal, she could punch her own heart and it wouldn't kill her."

"I have a warm heart." Trish mumbled.

"I already knew that." Harry smiled at her kindly causing Trish to blush as she realised she had said that out loud.

"Right, let's get this show on the road." Harry declared with a clap of his hands. "This part is often done with a scalpel, we could use lasers but then we have to deal with cauterized tissue." He said as he conjured one. He then shoved his hand into her chest, cupping her heart as he cut the large veins and aortas before removing the organ completely.

Trish thought she would have thrown up by now but she was oddly calm.

"Did you do something to me? Shouldn't I be hysterical?" She asked suspiciously.

Harry handed the heart to an amazed Doctor Marks and just grinned at her. "A calming charm, nothing more. The average person needs one for the first few times they donate.

"Now comes the really interesting part!"

Trish watched as Harry pulsed magic into her and a new heart quickly grew. She was shocked as Harry didn't hesitate as he cut it out and kept the repeating the process, then she remembered he mentioned ten hearts earlier. But Harry didn't stop at ten; he went on for twenty hearts, all lined up on the expanded bed table in conjured plastic boxes.

The twenty-first heart stayed in her chest as the world watched in amazement as Trish Tilby donated twenty hearts in five minutes and then was healed up as though she had just come on-air. The male population (and some of the females) were disappointed at the lack of boob exposure, many a husband received an icy glare, slap on the head or relegation to the couch.

"Congratulations, Miss Tilby. You are the first person in the history of this world to donate more than one heart and still live." Harry said as he helped her off the bed, he repaired her clothes and cast some cleansing and freshening charms to help her feel better.

Trish stood somewhat shakily as she received her microphone back from Josh. Harry conjured a couple of armchairs for them.

"That was amazing." Trish breathed. "I didn't feel a thing, just very nervous and scared." She admitted.

"You did perfectly." Harry assured her. "My adopted father back home, he survived seeing me do all that to myself and others one night and then fainted when he watched me deliver a baby… he never lived that one down." Harry grinned.

"Why twenty hearts though?" Trish asked.

"Because various governments will want to test them to prove they are viable."

"Won't they be able to clone me?" She asked worriedly.

"No, I have put a charm on you and all my friends so that your DNA can't be copied, altered or duplicated."

Trish just nodded, she was quite relived, she was aware of all the cloning crap the X-Men had gone through.

"If you can re-grow organs, why bother with the transplants?"

"Because there aren't enough magicals to handle that amount of demand, it's easier and more efficient to take five organs from a donor and send them out to the people who need them where regular Doctors like Doctor Marks can implant them."

Trish just nodded in understanding. "And all magicals can do what you did?"

"It actually takes a team of five magicals combining their power to do that. I'm just unique that I can do it by myself. Josh can also do five organs on his own with his mutant powers."

"Josh, what sort of healings have you done so far?" Trish asked the young boy.

Josh looked at Harry slightly nervous.

"Broad strokes, no names or details." Harry said calmly. "Josh is bound by Healer/Patient confidentiality." He explained.

"I believe Laurie and I can help with that." Came Scott's calm voice as he appeared standing between Trish and Harry with Laurie.

"You're sure?" Harry asked.

Laurie just nodded so Harry conjured a few more chairs.

"Many of your viewers know me when I am wearing a pair of red sunglasses or this visor." Scott said as he placed one of the visors he had brought with him over his eyes. "I am more commonly known to the public as 'Cyclops', the field leader of the X-Men.

"Until a few weeks ago I was forced to wear these visors or glasses or the red beams I am known for would erupt from my eyes, I had no ability to control them due to head injuries as a child. Josh was the one who finally healed my head so I can see the world in full colour and not just shades of red." It was hard for the people who knew the leader of the X-Men to recognise him on the TV. Not because of his lack of uniform or visor but because he was smiling!

After Josh had healed him that night he had spent an hour just examining all the various colours he had long since forgotten. He took great pleasure in examining Emma as well.

Scott's new smile and attitude found many a student cowering in fear. They weren't used to it and worried it was some kind of mind control.

Even Trish was having trouble believing what she was seeing. It creeped her out a bit.

"And Laurie, you experienced Josh's healing?" She asked turning to the slightly less unnerving of the two.

"I was shot in the head by one of Reverend Stryker's people, Josh was able to heal my wounds whilst Harry kept my soul around."

"That was you?!" Trish lost all of her objectivity. As a reporter it was her job to stay on top of the latest stories, the names of the last of the 198 mutants were important, especially those staying at the Xavier Mansion, she had seen reports on all of the students.

Laurie Collins stood out, not because of herself but because of her father. As a result Trish knew quite a bit about Wallflower. She seemed like the nicest girl possible with a mutation she really didn't need or want.

"Why would anyone want to hurt you?"

"You remember the Nimrod incident a few days ago? Stryker was the one who activated him." Scott explained. "He had information regarding the future from Nimrod that suggested Laurie was key to destroying all mutants."

Trish turned to Harry. "And you foiled the future?"

"This future." Harry shrugged. "There are so many realities and dimensions that anything is possible."

"I- I'm afraid we have to cut this interview short as my producers are telling me we are out of time." Trish said clearly disappointed.

"I'm sure we can arrange something again later." Harry said easily.

"Well viewers, there you have it…"

"Well viewers, there you have it, the power, ability and willingness to heal all of our ailments through magic and mutant powers. Hopefully we'll be able to meet with Doctor Potter again so he can show us more of these wonders.

This is Trish Tilby, reporting from New York Presbyterian."

"Wow, I am amazed that Laurie actually went on TV." Cessily remarked to Laura as they watched the end of the report in a coffee shop Cessily had brought her too.

"Would you do it?" Laura asked.

"Maybe, now that I no longer have silver skin. I have no problems with publicity, I was a cheerleader after all." Cessily grinned.

"I still don't understand what a cheerleader is for." Laura frowned.

"Maybe we can set up a squad for the mansion. Bet Doctor Potter would love to see you in a short skirt and tight top." She smirked.

"You mean because I will look… 'sexy'?" Laura was beginning to understand the world a little better.

She knew that men liked sex, she had to use herself as sexual object to attract targets on her missions before Logan. But she no longer treated life as a mission but took everything and tried to experience it. The Cuckoos had been eager to help her as they reconnected with their emotions.

"Of course, you're his girl now right? Or one of them."

"I am his soul mate. As are the others." Laura agreed.

Cessily just rolled her eyes. "That would be so much more romantic if he didn't have so many."

"He needs us. When we die he will need others to ease the pain and fill the holes in his soul." Laura told her with a hint of sadness.

"Well… how is it going? Any snogging yet?" She asked with a waggle of her eyebrows.

"No, he is taking me out to dinner on the weekend."

"What's wrong?" She asked as she noticed Laura seemed agitated.

"The feeling I am supposed to have for Harry… the romantic ones… am I only supposed to have them for him?" She asked nervously.

"You like someone else?!" She asked loudly in surprise.

"SHHHH!" Laura hissed. "I don't know! I've never had true feelings before."

Poor Laura, Cessily thought. She sounded so desperate and lost.

"Have you talked to Doctor Potter? Or your other fellow… soul mates?"

Laura shook her head wildly, her loose ebony hair flying wildly. She tended to use it as a shield from the rest of the world, using it to hide her face.

"Maybe you should, he did say that-"

Cessily stopped as Laura suddenly stood up and tensed.

"Leave! Now!" She hissed. She then spoke to the rest of the patrons. "All of you, get out now, danger is coming!"

Unfortunately they just stared at her and for the first time Cessily wished she had her metal body so she could scare them out.

"Pop your claws." She whispered to Laura as she stood. "We're mutants, she can sense danger we nee-"

"Too late." Laura gasped as she dove for Cessily and the world exploded in fire and pain.

"How could you do that to me!" Trish ranted as she paced back and forth in Scott's office. Harry had brought her back to the mansion after the interview and healing everyone else on the ward… not that he told them he had. Now Trish was expressing her ire at being turned into Harry's demonstration dummy on live TV.

"You realise Harry has made you world famous?" Hank smirked.

Trish just glared at her ex. "The whole world saw me shaking like a leaf! My innards are going to be all over the Internet!" She struggled to tear her eyes off Hank, it was nice to see him looking so happy and human again.

"I intend to make it up to you in the next interview." Harry assured her.

"Let me guess, you're going to have me strip naked." She shot snidely.

"I'm going to make you a magical."

Trish just stared at him.

And stared.

"Trish?" Scott prodded gently.

"A magical?"

"A magical." Harry confirmed.

"A broom riding, cauldron boiling, spell casting magical?"

"I can give you green skin and warts if you want." Harry deadpanned. "Or you can be like Hank and the other magicals I have created."

Trish sat down in shock.

Unfortunately there was no chair and Harry had to quickly conjure one.

"You always said you were going to make more magicals… I thought they were only going to be mutants though." She commented through her cloud of awe. She suddenly resumed her scowl. "You pull crap like that again on me and I will see just how invulnerable you are!"

"At least she isn't threatening to ruin you in the press." Hank sighed, although it was clear he was enjoying the scene.

"I do have standards, as you well know." She snapped at the former blue man.

"Of cou-"

Hank was interrupted by the sudden appearance of Laura, by the looks of things she had been in a massive fight as her clothes were nearly non-existent.

"God dammit Laura!" Harry groused as he repaired her clothes. "What happened this time?"

"Men from The Facility, Kimura, they took Cessily, killed everyone else!" She said frantically.

Harry grabbed the sides of her face and forced her to look at him. "Let me see what you saw." He ordered softly.

Laura just nodded as she felt the mild presence of Harry entering her mind. It was warm and soft and she definitely didn't want him to leave. It was even better than the times she spent with the Cuckoos.

She saw as Harry watched the coffee shop explode around her stunning both her and Cessily causing Cessily's mutation to re-emerge. She still couldn't figure out how Cessily had suddenly become metal again. Then the fighting began as she begged Cessily to run, but neither girl would leave the wounded civilians to die or abandon their friends.

She re-lived the pain of setting off Kimura's grenades and the abject horror and dismay as they hauled Cessily away, unconscious after torturing her with electricity.

"I. Am. Going. To. Kill. Them." Harry growled as smoke billowed from his nose and mouth. He stood up swiftly. "Laura, show Emma what happened, Scott, assemble a team to clean up after I am finished, you can join in if you make it in time."

"Where are they going?" Laura asked. "I couldn't teleport to Cessily." She said still upset.

"I know, I think they are using magic to hide their position, just means I need to search for the magic." He assured her. "Don't teleport too close, I will not be playing nicely." He warned Scott before he vanished.

"Scott… something going on? Harry just appeared up here and took off in his dragon form." Logan's voice came over the comms.

Scott sighed. It was going to be one of those days.

Despite being the Master of Magic, Harry was still affected by many of the more passive forms of magic. Especially those that tried to hide something and he wasn't actively looking for magic or near it. So if someone cast the Fidelius and he didn't know it, it still affected him until he encountered the Secret Keeper, someone who knew the secret or the location of the secret at which point he would be able to see the magic involved.

Once he knew magic was involved Harry came into his element. He may be blocked from teleporting to Cessily but he just had to track her magical signature from the Coffee Shop. He swooped in for a landing under a hail of bullets as the local police began firing at him.

Harry ignored them.

Mosquitoes hurt more than their bullets, they definitely annoyed him and he was going to be registering a severe complaint with the authorities but he went about his business as the bullets bounced off his thick dragon skin hide.

He soon found Cessily's scent and signature and took to the air again leaving the completely confused police to explain how they had managed to use up a months supply of ammunition with nothing to show for it.

They were especially frightened when the formerly dead patrons of the coffee shop began to stumble out of the debris dazedly. One poor civilian had to be taken to the hospital when a cop panicked and shot him.

Cessily Kinkaid was terrified and in agony. She and Laura had been attacked without warning or provocation. She had witnessed Laura essentially sacrifice herself to save her and others, but she was still captured.

Something had gone wrong and her mutation had re-emerged, it was probably the only thing that saved her life as they had shot metal spikes that pumped electricity into her.

Dr. Potter had warned them that their magical powers could be inhibited by electricity and her captors were using plenty of it on her. What was worse was they were using lasers to cut away pieces of her liquid metal body. She was desperately trying to call out using the magical mental telepathy Dr. Potter taught them for help but nothing seemed to get through.

Then they had shown her the monstrosities that they used her metal on. Two huge creatures the size of hippos but that looked like predators out of a monster movie, like rabid canines.

Her heart soared as she saw Dr. Potter rise slowly out of the ground in front of the containment tube she was being held in. The scientists that were torturing her were running around in panic.

"Cessily, why are you sitting in there?" Harry asked calmly.

"It's electrified, magic doesn't work, help me!" She pleaded.

"Cessily, your magic still works, it just can't escape the bounds of your containment. You can still use your magic to escape, you can still transfigure and conjure things."

"But ho- HARRY!" She screamed as she saw the two large metallic monsters bear down on Harry, the left one simply grabbed him and bit him in half leaving his legs on the floor.

Cessily sobbed as she frantically tried to think of how to escape. Magic didn't affect the glass surrounding her, she had tried to smash the glass but couldn't, mainly because it was electrified.

Dr. Potter had said she could conjure or transfigure things. Her conjuration was crap but she was a fair hand at transfiguration, unfortunately the only things she had available to transfigure were the skimpy garments that they had thrown her in the tube with, not that they had stayed on once she turned to liquid.

She knew she could transfigure something small into something much larger, she could also transfigure it into something 'living'… temporarily at least. But she wasn't able to break the containment herself and doubted she could create a living creature capable of doing the same. So she began transfiguring her clothes into metal beams. The front of the glass tube opened up so she knew there was a seam somewhere, she positioned the beams in the middle of the tube with the ends pointing from front to back they began to push out as she enlarged them, she could hear the creaking as the structure weakened, cracks began to form in the clear material and soon enough the glass shattered and revealed her freedom.

"It's about time!" Came Harry's voice.

"You're Ok!" She then proceeded to throw up as she realised that Harry was currently crawling out the mouth of the unconscious monster that ate him, only his lower half was sitting on the floor several feet away.

"It's not that bad!" Harry objected. "Look out!" He warned as the second monster leapt at Cessily.

She immediately went limp which had the effect of her falling into a puddle on the floor and leaving the monster very confused as it pawed at the silvery substance that smelled like itself.

"Oi! Ugly, come and chomp on me!" Harry taunted as he fully exited the mouth, already his legs were growing back.

The creature roared and charged but only made it single leap before Harry zapped it in the mouth and fell to the floor in a heap.

"All clear Cess'." Harry called out as the liquid metal mutant reformed. "Did you know that you are impervious to magical attack whilst in that form?" He asked with a smile.

"Why am I in this form?" Cessily asked weakly, all the magic, torture and loss of her own mass had made her weak.

"A defence mechanism. When you are attacked you revert to you true form as it is capable of more damage." He explained.

"This is not my true form." She argued.

"Yes, it is." Harry said seriously. "I didn't remove the x-gene, I just used magic to put it in stand-by. I may not have wanted you kids to fight but-"

"HARRY!" Cessily screamed as a sword sliced off Harry's head, his feet were still re-growing.

"Stupid man, didn't he think we would have other people around, not just these monsters." A black haired woman snarled, she was wielding a sword that was now dripping with Harry's blood.

"Stay back! I don't want to hurt you." Cessily warned.

"Please, little girl! There is nothing you could do to hurt me." She sneered. "Now you just stay put whilst the techs bring in another tube for you to sit in." She mocked.

Cessily was weak, she knew she couldn't fight, but she was free of the tube and it's electric field, so she grabbed Harry's torso and focused on the mansion and vanished.

"Dammit!" Kimura screamed in anger.

Hank immediately hit the alarm as Mercury and Harry appeared in the infirmary, he paused for a moment, unsure what to do about Harry's headless and footless body, but then he decided to focus on Mercury.

"Tell me what happened my dear." He instructed softly as he lifted her on to the bed. Harry had warned him that he had put fail-safes in that would cause mutations to re-emerge in an emergency so her liquid metal state didn't surprise him.

"They captured me, cut pieces of my body off, they grafted it onto these horrible monsters and then Harry arrived. He stopped them but then this woman cut his head off!"

"Yes and it is really annoying when that happens!" Harry's voice came from the floor.

Both turned to look, but instead of seeing Harry's head now on his body, what they saw was Harry's head next to his body whilst the rest of his body was steadily growing out of his neck. Curled up on the floor next to him was a silver metallic puppy.

"Harry…" Hank began hesitantly, "do you need me to put you on your body?"

"Nah, you can vanish that, I'll be walking around in a minute or two." He assured them. His head then floated up to their eye level, his spine and organs still growing out.

"Oh god! I'm gonna be sick!" Cessily managed before she put action to word all over Hank's white lab coat… Hank didn't seem to notice as he was fascinated by Harry's 're-growth'.

"Oh god! I'm gonna be sick!" The echo was not Cessily repeating herself… literally. It was Bobby who had come down with the others in response to the alarm.

"Harry! Get behind a curtain and stop scaring everyone!" Lorna ordered, everyone was looking a bit closer in shade to her hair colour.

"Fine." Harry sulked as he floated to a bed, the curtain closing after him.

"Harry, what's with the silver puppy?" Lorna asked as she pulled Hank back from following Harry, cleaned his vomit-covered coat and then pointed him back at Cessily.

"That's Cessily's. It's the thing they made with her metal." Harry called out.

"Miss Kincaid indicated it was substantially bigger… and more horrifying." Hank noted. The little puppy looked more like a wolf cub.

"Yeah, but I did a permanent transfiguration and layered some charms so it would act as Cessily's best friend and bodyguard." Harry called out.

"Harry, what happened to the place you found her?" Scott asked. "We were just about to come and help."

"Yeah, but after Cessily freed herself I got decapitated and she managed to escape. I was able to follow her out but not before the puppy woke up and bit my head… so I decided to bring it along."

"What about Kimura?" Laura asked worriedly.

"Ah, she's still there, I can't actually do much without a body… well I can, but it interferes with my body re-growing."

"We should go back and kill her. She is very dangerous and may come after us again." Laura advised.

"Laura, we don't just go around killing people because they might be dangerous." Scott admonished.

"Harry does." She pointed out. "If they are dangerous. Which Kimura is."

"And so should you lot!" Harry scowled as he emerged whole from the curtained bed. "This woman is bad news, so are the idiots working with her."

Just as Scott was going to argue, Laura interrupted. "We might not be able to kill her." Scott was looking a mite relieved. "Harry will have to. She is nearly indestructible, you can't damage her skin."

Scott was not pleased.

"What about her mind?" Emma asked. Scott just looked betrayed.

"I do not know." Laura admitted.

"Scott, will you just accept that this is out of your hands." Harry sighed. "You have no authority over what I do and as soon as I find her I will be killing her."

"You can't teleport to her?" Lorna asked.

"I didn't really get a good look at her… I was busy rolling on the floor with out a body." He admitted sheepishly.

"I can teleport to her. I know her." And then Laura vanished.

And reappeared with a stunned Kimura.

"What the hell X'! When did you get this upgrade?" Kimura demanded as she drew her swords to defend herself. She was fairly unnerved by the fact that none of the 'heroes' were doing the same.

"Laura, please don't do that without backup." Lorna sighed.

Harry sent a stunner at Kimura but it didn't seem to affect her. "Huh, ok, have to do this the hard way." He shrugged as he conjured a diamond tube to hold her.

"Emma, can you troll through her head for any useful information?"

"I do not 'troll'." Emma said with a narrow eyed glare at Harry. "I could use the help of my girls though."

The Cuckoos suddenly appeared in their sleepwear of pyjama bottoms and tank tops. "Not yours. Harry's." Celeste declared, although there was a lot less conviction in her voice.

"Well, you four get to work and I'll clean up when you're done." He levitated the tube and Kimura to the other side of the room where Kimura was clearly screaming and shouting despite the fact that no one could hear her. Harry had silenced the tube.

"You couldn't read her mind yourself with magic?" Hank asked. "You cleared up Gazer pretty quickly."

"It's the whole destruction is easier than creation bit. Removing memories is fairly easy, but trying to read them with magic is an arduous task if the participant is unwilling or they aren't thinking about them. Jean found the whole thing ridiculous and just told me to ask her to do it."

"Can you fix me?" Cessily asked weakly.

"I can, but I want you to try and work on switching back and forth between organic and metal without magic."

"I can't, it's part of my mutation. I don't have that ability." She said forlornly.

"I don't think that's true. You have hair, if you can have hair then you can have the rest, I think you just need to work on it."

"Will you let me be human when I'm not practising… so I can go out in public?"

"If that's what you want." He agreed. He was not happy that mutants felt they needed to hide their true selves. It had taken Hermione an entire millennium to get the House Elves to walk about in public without glamours or invisibility spells. But she did succeed. He just didn't want it to take that long for mutants.

*Chapter 14*: Chapter 14  
Chapter 14

Despite Cessily being completely healed she still slept that night with Fawkes singing softly above her bed. Laura also refused to leave her alone and slept on her floor, although she did so invisibly and didn't tell Cessily either. Her brand new un-named metal puppy also sat at the foot of her bed standing guard.

Harry had managed to clear up the issue of the so-called 'rogue heroes' who opposed the Superhero Registration Act by giving them the same charms as Peter. He did however add a clause into the charm so that if they did go rogue for some reason the charm would reverse and everyone would know who they were under the mask. Each hero was made a magical and Harry forced them to take an oath about not abusing their powers or position as pillars of the community. Numerous times Iron Man and various heroes in favour of the Act came pounding at the door demanding he give names. Numerous times they left after finding a sudden urge for a Twinkie.

It made the government even more eager to capture and learn their identities, something that Harry had to help deal with when the New Avengers and the Runaways were attacked and some were captured. Harry had led a team of Secret Avengers and various other heroes in an assault on the prison where they were being held. When he found that they were experimenting on the heroes he proceeded to rip the place apart, killing whatever criminals Captain America and the others deemed to be dangerous or who he found to be too repugnant based on their memories and souls.

This inevitably led to Iron Man and his fellow proponents of the Act banging on the Mansion door.

"Ah, Tony. What can I do for you and your… colleagues?" Emma asked with disdain as she eyed the various 'heroes' assembled on the front steps of the Xavier Institute. She smirked as she saw Spiderman there, looking very uncomfortable, but she knew as well as everyone else in the mansion that Peter Parker had no desire to support this Registration Act.

"We are here to arrest Harry Potter for acts of terrorism and violation of Superhero Registration Act." Iron Man stated.

"You have a warrant, I assume?"

Tony had a slight superior smirk as he handed over the warrant, it was hidden behind his face plate… the smirk, not the warrant.

"And your identification?"

"You know who I am, Emma."

"Of course I do, but we must follow the law, I can't have the school seen as not setting a good example for its students. You do have official identification, don't you?" She asked with a look in her eye that clearly said she was enjoying herself.

Tony was getting frustrated. He did have identification, but it was not accessible without removing his armour, it wasn't as if he could just slap one on his armour… it would ruin the look. People usually accepted who he was just based on the armours appearance.

"Tony?"

"I can't produce it at the moment." He growled.

"And none of your fellow… 'heroes' has the appropriate identification?" She prompted.

The short answer was 'no'. Most of the so-called 'heroes' that had accompanied him were the bottom of the barrel. He had lost so many of the quality heroes that he had found himself nearly accepting Deadpool's help, fortunately the others had managed to pull him back from the edge of insanity.

"Oh dear." Emma said with a sad shake of her head. "Well, we will be here tomorrow if you want to come back and try again." She said before she closed the door on the floundering Iron Man.

Iron Man stood riveted to the step as the seconds passed, just as one of his colleagues was about to query he shot into the sky leaving a burn mark on the front step.

Emma slumped against the closed door with her eyes closed. She placed a hand over her breast and said breathlessly. "My word, if I'd known doing that would be so much fun I would have joined Bobby years ago!"

This caused the assembled students to burst into laughter and giggles as some of the X-Men looked on in shock at Emma's admission.

"What happens tomorrow, when they come back?" Julian asked, he had to admit, Miss Frost handled Iron Man and his goon squad with style.

"If they come back and have fulfilled the letter of the law you stand back and leave it to me." Harry stated as he appeared in the room.

"And make sure I'm here to film it!" Trish added gleefully. Trish had caught wind of the warrant over the Press Wires and came to warn Harry, she might need to be objective as a reporter but she wasn't going to turn a blind eye to what was wrong. Besides, the public would eat this up.

The following morning Iron Man and co. arrived on the doorstep of the Institute.

"Ah, Tony, back again I see." Emma smirked. She had to fight off several of the other X-Men who wanted to greet the goon squad this morning after witnessing Emma having fun yesterday.

Iron Man didn't respond except to beckon Spiderman over who presented him with a briefcase.

"The warrant and my ID." Iron Man stated tightly.

Emma took the documents and shut the door on them.

"Should we arrest her for stealing boss?" Spiderman queried.

"Shut up Peter." Iron Man snapped.

"Hey! I'm in costume, you gotta call me by my title." Spiderman objected.

Tony was well aware that Peter Parker had many objections to the Superhero Registration Act and that he was just playing lip service to his duties on the Avengers. He was also aware that Potter and his people were just waiting for one of Spiderman's enemies to get to his relatives before they used it against him. Tony had spies everywhere, it came with the territory, whether it be politics or business.

What Peter didn't know was that Tony had set up round the clock surveillance and protection. Tony was nobody's fool.

Eventually the door opened… just as Tony was about to knock.

"Patience, Tony." Emma admonished, seeing his poised to knock hand. "Follow me, your goon squad can wait here."

"They are with me, my team." Iron Man declared.

"And if they can provide the appropriate identification and credentials they are of course entitled to accompany you. We will of course need to verify their credentials. We are a school which caters to various abused children, we take that very seriously." She said with none of the amusement that had been there before. She knew some of these 'heroes', she didn't care if the President, Scott or even Harry himself declared them safe, they weren't getting near her children.

Of course, Tony knew full well that they were only deputised by voice, there was no paperwork and absolutely no one in government had authorised them. Except for Spiderman who was clearly under duress, none of the other true heroes had wanted any part of this, they had threatened to join Steve Rogers and turn on Tony if he forced them.

"Fine." Iron Man spat. "Wait here."

"Peter is more than welcome." Emma said with slight smile.

"Erm… I'll be fine out here." Spiderman said backing off.

"Move Parker!"

"Hey! Costume! Code name!" Spiderman barked back before storming past. "Hey kids!" He called cheerfully.

"Hey Mr. Parker." "Hi Pete." "It's Spiderman! Oh my god! It's really him!" Came the collective greetings. Although why Dani seemed so… surprised to see Spiderman made both men wary.

"Hello children." Iron Man said formally.

"BOOO!" Was the resounding chorus… incidentally led by Dani.

"Can we get on with this?" Iron Man called over the continuing boos. "Take us to Potter." He ordered.

"Manners, Tony. You are supposed to set an example for the children." Emma admonished as she headed out to the courtyard where Harry and Trish were seated in front of a camera, between them was a television.

"Miss Tilby, I'm afraid I will have to ask you to cancel recording your interview. I am here to place Dr. Potter under arrest."

Trish tried her best not to smirk, she really did. "This isn't a recording, Mr. Stark. This is a live interview, just like all the previous interviews with Dr. Potter."

Iron Man physically stalled at that news. "I must ask you to cease broadcasting."

Trish crossed her legs and sat back, regarding the red and gold hero. "Of course, I will need to see the appropriate court orders that are forcing us to give up our First Amendment Rights, not to mention impinging on the rights of the Press."

"I do not have time to get those at the minute-"

"Then you also don't have the authority or the right to make that request, Mr. Stark." She finished for him.

Tony was struggling not to growl and strangle someone. He really hated Potter.

Iron Man stomped over to Harry. "Harry Potter, you are hereby under arrest for acts of terrorism and violation of the Superhero Registration Act. You have the right to remain silent-"

"Please stop, I'm not an American citizen, I don't live in your country, I am only here at the moment because I was told you wanted to speak to me." Harry said quietly.

"You have been in the United States of America for several months now, you have committed crimes against its citizens."

"What crimes?" Trish asked.

"I'm not at liberty to discuss those."

"Then you don't have any proof that you can give the public that the man you want to lock up has committed those crimes, that will let the people of the world know that you have a good reason for taking away the source of all the excess organ transplants. Who has been working through the various hospitals around the world to heal those he could. Who has been working to improve the conditions of the third world countries." Harry spoke evenly, never raising his voice, his expression never leaving a relaxed neutrality.

"You attacked a government facility and killed most of the residents." Tony snarled.

"Really, what facility? Who did I kill?" Harry challenged. "You can tell them or I can."

This time Iron Man did growl, spinning around he unleashed a repulsor blast on the camera. Spinning back he came face to face with a wall of clear material that his suit informed him was diamond, but it was having trouble verifying that. He threw another repulsor blast at the wall forming a large crack.

"Clearly not as powerful as you thought, Potter." Tony sneered.

"And your memory really seems to be failing." Harry said sadly as Trish was cowering behind him.

Harry waved his hand and Iron Man took the opportunity to send another attack causing Trish to scream.

But nothing happened, he looked down at his hand and realised that his armour was gone, replaced by a standard suit.

"Take a seat Tony." Harry ordered calmly. "We need to have a talk about your behaviour."

"I have nothing to say to criminals." Tony stated as he stood stiffly at attention. "Spiderman, arrest him."

"Erm… how?"

"Take out your cuffs and place them on him." Tony growled.

"I don't have any cuffs, this costume doesn't exactly come with a utility belt." He shrugged.

"Then bind him with your webbing!"

"Fine." Spiderman sighed before casually raising his hands and shooting his webbing at Harry… which went straight through him and his chair to land in a pile on the grass behind him.

"Well Boss, what now?"

Tony's teeth started grinding, he could hear the laughter in Peter's voice.

"I still don't get why you think you should arrest me." Harry said with a small smile. "The facility I attacked was holding innocent civilians amongst hardened and irredeemable criminals. Even worse was the fact that your people were trying to cut up the innocent civilians… mere children really, whilst they were still alive."

"The US Government did not sanction those experiments."

"But you didn't stop them either. I saw the cameras, you had to have known what was going on."

Tony remained silent.

"The people I killed… and yes, I freely admit I killed them, they were the worst of the worst. Responsible for the murders and rapes of thousands of people between them. You and your government might want to condemn me for killing them, but…" Harry stood and approached Tony. "I, Harry James Potter, the Master of Magic and Death, condemn you and your government for not killing them and endangering the innocent civilians of the world by leaving them alive."

"You have no authority here." Tony spat. "You said it yourself, you aren't even from this reality."

"No, I'm not. But I am Death, I am the Master of Magic, throughout existence there is no one like me. I do hold the authority, given to me by creation or whatever god exists out there." Harry was standing nose to nose with Tony. "What gives you the right to question me?"

Tony straightened up at this. "I am a native citizen in this reality, world and country in which you have chosen to interfere, I am sworn leader and protector of the people of this country and I have the full force of the United States Government behind me. That is what gives me the right."

Harry shook his head sadly. "No, that just gives you the ego, not the right. But let's talk about the crimes that you yourself have personally committed."

"I haven't committed any crimes." Tony stated firmly.

Tony paled as Thor suddenly appeared in thin air with Odin beside him.

"You illegally cloned my son. You took his flesh and his blood and you created an abomination. You gave that abomination my son's name and identity and sent him to kill my sons friends and comrades." Odin said angrily. "Tell me why I shouldn't strike you down where you stand?"

"It was… an accident." Tony said nervously.

"You accidentally stole Thor's DNA and made a killing machine with it?" Harry asked mockingly.

"It was never meant to kill."

"But you admit you stole my DNA and sullied my reputation. Tell me, whose crimes are greater, Tony Stark? The heroes who you want to arrest for simply helping people or you, who stole and broke your own worlds laws on cloning?" Thor demanded calmly.

"I'm afraid that's all the time I have gentlemen." Trish said quietly.

"Ah, of course. Again, as always, it's been a pleasure. We'll arrange for our next interview where you become truly more magical than you already are!" Harry grinned.

Tony was surprised when Miss Tilby turned to a seemingly empty space and spoke as if she was on camera.

"This is Trish Tilby with Tony Stark, Harry Potter, Thor Odinson and Odin Borson, live from the Xavier Institute for Gifted Students, back to the studio." She held her smile for a second before relaxing. "And we're off the air."

"So this was all for the cameras?" Tony scoffed in disbelief. "All your talk of rights and power and you just wanted to show me up."

"What did I do to show you up Tony?" Harry asked. "You came after me. You are the one without the arguments and reasons for the horrible misdeeds. You and those in power have forgotten that the government serves the people, they do not dictate… that leads to rebellion, it's why the people don't respect you."

"If they didn't respect me then why did they put me in this position?" Tony countered.

"I checked. They didn't." Harry said simply. "The government did, because they, like the people, fear you and would rather have you working for them than against them.

"And you still haven't answered my question." Thor said quietly.

"Nor mine." Odin agreed.

Tony didn't have a response, but the shame was clear on his face.

Odin and Thor vanished, anger and disappointment clear on their faces.

"Come on, I'll walk you out." Harry said as he turned to enter the school.

"I still have to take you in." Tony growled. Harry didn't respond, he just kept walking, forcing Tony and Peter to jog to catch up.

"You don't have the authority, power, ability and most of all, you don't have the moral right to arrest me." Harry warned him as he placed a hand on the front door handle. "I am far from your biggest problem right now."

Tony frowned. "You are the one killing indiscriminately."

"No, you are the one who believes I am killing indiscriminately. But your problem is no longer me." He opened the door to reveal a large crowd at the Mansion gates. "They are."

The crowd saw the door open and they could see Tony Stark, Spiderman and Dr. Potter. They were furious that the government was trying to take away the man who could make the world a better place. The shouting and booing began.

"Come on Tony, we need to sort this out before it escalates. Got your camera, Trish?"

"I have the spare, I will be filing charges against Tony Stark and Iron Man for destruction of private property though, but could I get Spiderman to help me, it's a bit heavy."

"Fine by me, a little more sophisticated than what I am used to, but I'll manage." Pete shrugged as he pulled off his mask to see through the lens better.

Harry led the group to the Mansion gates and the shouting grew louder. When they arrived Harry startled them all by causing them to rise into the air.

Harry cast a Sonorous on himself and addressed the crowd. "Ladies and Gentlemen! Please."

Harry waited as the crowd quietened, eager to hear what he had to say. "I know that what you witnessed today has upset and angered you. But you must abide by the laws of your land. Protest is allowed, but it must be peaceful.

"I know you are angry with Mr. Stark, but you must express your anger appropriately. Don't let violence ruin what you are protesting and turn you into hypocrites.

"However wrong Mr. Stark might be today, remember that he is doing what he truly believes is the right thing. He does not have evil intent, I can assure you of that.

"I recommend you take your protest to the local government buildings, you will have much more effect there than here at a simple school.

"We will be taking our leave now, and I wish you all a good day."

With that Harry teleported them all back into the Mansion.

The crowd remained, many were confused at Dr. Potter's words, he seemed to be condemning and condoning Iron Man's actions.

"Why did you do that?!" Tony demanded angrily.

Harry sighed wearily as he fell into a chair that seemed to appear on command. "What have I done now?"

"Why did you appear to defend me?"

"I didn't defend you." Harry said testily. "I simply attempted to head the mob off before they took to more violent methods of protest. Unfortunately, it might not work."

"So you were just covering your own ass." Tony sneered.

Harry looked at Tony sharply. "You should leave your job, Tony. Politics has made you highly paranoid. You keep this up and I will intervene."

"I don't respond well to threats." Tony snarled.

"Get out Tony, I've had enough of you for today." Harry sighed as he waved his hand dismissively causing Tony's armour to reappear before vanishing himself, leaving Trish, Peter and Emma to deal with Tony.

"I'm warning you Emma, he will bring you down with him. You should really see to getting him turned over to the authorities." Iron Man said raising a finger at Emma pointedly before storming out.

Trish, Peter and Emma just stood there staring at the front door Iron Man had stormed out of.

"Does he remember I came with him and that he's my ride home?" Peter eventually asked.

Trish's head snapped round as she remembered that Spiderman had come in with Iron Man.

"Don't worry, I'm sure you can teleport where you need to." Emma said dryly.

Peter affected indignation. "Hey! That is so not the point! It's the principle of the matter! What do you think Carol would do if he left her here… what would you do?"

The slow smile that appeared on Emma's face did not bring Peter comfort.

"Forget I asked." He gulped.

"Harry's right though, isn't he?" Trish asked. "Tony Stark is completely and unjustifiably paranoid."

"Maybe not unjustified." Peter pointed out. "He does have numerous enemies, even more now that he is persecuting heroes."

"You don't agree with your boss Spiderman?" Trish enquired, the gleam of story sparkling in her eyes.

"And that's my cue to leave!" Peter declared before vanishing on the spot.

*Chapter 15*: Chapter 15  
Chapter 15

That evening Harry and Lorna went out for a romantic evening. When Amara had approached Dani about bonding with Harry, Dani had pointed out that they should ask Lorna as she seemed quite taken with the Brit. Lorna had admitted that she was falling for him, she had been worried that it was because of what he had done for her, but Dani simply pointed out that it didn't matter as long as they could be happy together.

So Lorna was the one who already had feelings for Harry and was looking to take the relationship further, Dani was much closer behind whilst Amara was adjusting to the loss of Antonio.

Laura and the triplets were teenage girls riding the high of hormones and were always chaperoned by one of the others as they were also underage… technically.

Harry was very different from the other males in the mansion. To start with his body type was nothing like theirs, he wasn't built with a six pack and pecks that could dance, he wasn't six foot plus. Harry was barely five foot eleven, he was very slim with a very relaxed form, even Bobby stood like he expected trouble, Harry just sat back and waited patiently.

Dani had confided that she was pleased that Harry wasn't a male Adonis body builder like the other men as he would be a great example for the younger males, showing them that they didn't need to spend too much time in the gym.

"You really remember all your wives, girlfriends and children?" Lorna asked as she took a sip from her red wine. It was an up scale restaurant and they were dressed for the occasion with Harry in a suit and tie and Lorna in a very slinky strapless black dress, her vibrant green hair hanging loosely around her shoulders.

"Hell, I remember their other boyfriends and their children's spouses!" Harry laughed.

"It's really hard to comprehend what that actually means, I can't remember my friends from kindergarten but you can remember everyone you ever met!" She said in awe.

"Without a perfect memory then immortality wouldn't really make a difference, every few hundred or thousand years you would be someone new as you forgot who you used to be and those that knew you passed away."

"Tell me about your very first girlfriend." She asked with a mischievous grin.

Harry stared at her for a second before leaning forward across the table slightly, he gestured at the table and a 3-dimensional image of a young woman with brown curly hair and brown eyes appeared.

"This is Hermione. My first girlfriend, we were best friends since we were eleven and we both entered the magical world. Neither of us grew up around magic, and only truly found out about it when we were offered a place in the magical school at eleven years old. We started dating when we were about thirteen. She and Neville were with me for nearly all my adventures." Harry said with a wistful smile.

"But she wasn't your first soul mate?" She asked, she knew some of the facts but not the details.

Harry changed the image to that of a young blonde girl, no older than twelve. "Luna, my adopted sister. I never knew she was my soul mate. Her birth parents were soul mates, when her mother died her father held on tightly to life for as long as he could so he could look after Luna, but eventually he fell into madness and Neville sent him on soon after Luna was murdered."

"Murdered!?" Lorna gasped.

"Yes, Luna was a seer. She knew that some of the students who supported the Dark Lord were going to kidnap some of the girls from the school. She went with them to provide a target that would save someone else from dying. She was a true hero."

Lorna felt her eyes well up with tears. It was so sad, but a touching story. Then she realised something. "But what happened to you? You had your soul mate torn away, didn't it drive you insane?"

Harry grimaced in memory. "I was in a lot of pain, I just thought it was natural, I didn't have a normal life so I didn't know any different. It wasn't until immediately after I dealt with the Dark Lord a few months later that Hermione introduced me to the girl who Luna had told her before she died was capable of taking her place as my soul mate."

Lorna watched as the image morphed to show another blonde, but this time a young woman elegantly dressed in old-fashioned yet high-class clothes.

Several million years ago in Harry's birth reality…

Despite the protests of the African village chief, Harry had to take the students back to the school as they had only been authorised for a few hours. But Harry had promised to bring the students back over the weekend so they could celebrate with the villagers.

Harry had dragged Hermione and Daphne to a classroom where they could discuss the evening's revelations.

"I can't believe you actually accept this, Hermione." Harry frowned with scepticism.

"For a long while I didn't. Luna spent a fairly long time explaining it to me, she made me swear an oath not to tell you until she died." Hermione said sadly. "She explained how soul mates worked and that you would be able to see souls and how they work."

"Wait, if you knew this then-"

"I was bound by Luna's oath." Hermione interrupted, knowing what he was going to ask. "Besides, seeing something and hearing about something are two different things."

Harry could only nod at that. He hadn't told anyone as he was sworn to secrecy, but Sal had taken him to Camelot. Seeing it and hearing about it were truly different things and one could not compare to the other.

"What does this mean for us?" Harry asked the important question.

"Not much. You and I are still going to be together, but now Daphne will be a part of it… but I highly doubt Daphne and I will be as close as Fleur and Nym." She blushed.

Daphne just snorted. "Having known Harry for the past few years I wouldn't say anything is out of the question. One day he might have a boyfriend."

Harry looked a little queasy at that.

"That's how I feel about it Harry." Hermione said pointedly at the greenish tones he sported.

"What? I never expected you to want to. Of course I never expected to be in a relationship with any one but you." He shrugged.

"Well suck it up Harry, learn to go with the flow!" Daphne grinned as she quoted his father.

"'Go with the flow'? Daphne, what do you think I've been doing since I was born?" He scoffed.

They sat there for a few moments in silence before Harry spoke up.

"Do we need to do any thing to create the bond?" He asked cautiously.

"We need to have two whole days were we spend the whole time shagging whilst Hermione draws runes on our naked and sweaty bodies." Daphne informed him.

Harry just stared at her. Hermione was sputtering away.

"You realise that I can tell from a persons soul when they are lying?" Harry asked.

"Yes, but it's so much fun to see Hermione get so flustered." She smirked. Hermione just growled in frustration. "But the answer is no. We don't have to do anything besides spend time with each other and let nature take it's course."

"Eventually the pain you have been feeling since Luna died should fade as Daphne fills the void." Hermione added.

"Well the next few weeks will be hectic as we have the various trials to deal with." Harry sighed tiredly.

"We still have evenings, and I can spend my free periods helping you mark the lower year papers so we can spend some time together." Daphne assured him. "But first, there is something I want to do that every girl in the castle has dreamed of doing." She said as she stood up and pulled him up to embrace him. She closed the distance, pressing their lips together as they shared their first kiss.

Present time and reality…

"There was no light show? No sparks? No choir of voices?" Lorna asked with a pout.

Harry just laughed. "No, it was just a kiss, but it was what I consider the start of one of the best times in my life. I grew to love Daphne so deeply, when she died I thought I was going to die, but I couldn't. Neville was able to soothe my soul partially so I could function until I found another soul mate. It was thousands of years later before I learnt to create the bonds myself."

There was the sound of several people sniffling, Harry and Lorna turned to see that they had drawn the attention of the entire restaurant.

Harry was a little lost. "Erm-"

"We're sorry dears, but you started doing your magic, and your story… we couldn't help but be drawn in. It was… beautiful." An elderly man smiled sadly where he sat with his wife.

"It is nice to share my memories, I spent so long alone that at times it felt like it all might have been a dream." Have breathed.

"We don't exactly get a lot of downtime." Lorna pointed out. "Always seems to be one crisis after another."

Harry's head suddenly shot up as Lorna turned pale.

"Speak of the devil." Harry muttered in annoyance as he stood up and threw a few hundred-dollar bills on the table. "Please excuse us, there seems to be a bit of trouble I need to deal with." He helped Lorna out of the chair and they vanished, leaving the rest of the patrons and staff to stare at the empty space and wonder about what was happening.

There was a complete dome of fire surrounding the Mansion, the magic coming off the dome was immense and had likely attracted the attention of every magic user on the planet.

"What the hell happened?" Harry demanded as he stormed up to Scott and Emma.

"No idea, the Mansion just exploded into a ball of fire." Scott spat as he stared at the dome. "We have tried everything we can think of to breach the wall but nothing has worked. We didn't bother calling you as there was no way you could have missed it."

"Got that straight." Lorna muttered as she shuddered at the feeling that had spoilt her romantic dinner with Harry.

"This is specific magic." Harry grimaced. "I can wield it, but not very well. I would have to cleanse it first."

"It can't kill you can it?" She asked worriedly.

Harry smiled at her. "Not a chance."

"Do we have a plan?" Scott asked.

"I think I can breach the wall but I have no idea what is on the other side."

"We want in." Noriko declared as she and Julian marched up with many of the other students behind them.

"Bad idea." Harry said, he held up a hand to forestall the arguments. "If all of you come in there with us then there will be no one here to help defend the rest of the non-fighters. That said, I believe you are capable of handling the situation and students whilst the rest of us head in."

There was some grumbling, but they did understand what was happening. They knew that whilst they protected the other students the other X-Men would be handling other situations.

"Fine, but Hope's astral projection form made it back for a few seconds, said someone named 'Belasco' had taken them and that he had killed David… you will fix that." Noriko practically ordered. Harry just nodded and hoped that David hadn't crossed over yet.

"Noriko, your mission is to evacuate everyone to Wakanda, Ororo and T'Challa have agreed to act as a safe haven for times like this." Harry commanded. "The underground base is no longer secure."

"It's not?" Emma asked.

"If I haven't missed my guess then it is going to work as a gateway from this side of the barrier to the other side. It is still out of phase with realities."

"Quite the interesting hypothesis." Hank murmured.

"The denizens of Limbo are tough, we are going to need our best fighters." Scott informed him. "Limbo is filled with literal demons of evil."

"Erm… yeah." Harry said as he stared at a blank area of space.

"Harry?" Lorna asked worriedly.

Harry didn't respond, he simply reached out into the empty space, suddenly Laura was standing there, or at least what appeared to be her soul. There was a tendril that lead into Harry.

"It seems that Belasco has killed and destroyed Laura's body." Harry said blandly. "Well… I believe it's only fair I return the gesture… after I put Laura back of course."

Laura was clearly frantically explaining something but the other X-Men and students couldn't hear it.

"Hmm, Scott, assemble a team based on mutant powers, apparently Belasco seems to possess great control over magic." Harry advised. "I'll see you when you get there." He said before marching off in the direction of one of the external entrances to the underground complex.

Lorna shrugged before transfiguring her dress into her uniform and following.

Harry was absolutely livid. This Belasco character was playing with souls, Laura had been ripped away back into Limbo as they made their way through the underground complex and into the Mansion and Limbo itself. They had been joined by Amara and Dani who refused to leave the rest of the students, especially their sister soul mates to whatever fate Belasco had planned.

Limbo was a dimension of brimstone and fire, filled with demons of all shapes and sizes. Amara was in her element and was surfing happily on a wave of lava as the others flew as fast as they could behind the immense dragon that was Harry Potter. Harry was always faster in this form when flying, but he was even faster on a broom. Harry had explained as they walked through the Mansion to Limbo that it didn't matter if his soul mates lost their bodies died, they held very strong soul bonds with him that he would have to sever when their time came. It was why his soul had been so damaged.

Harry could see what seemed to be a small city made of stone ahead, there were thousands of demons gathered there around a palace of sorts. What made his blood boil was that he could see his students in chains or fighting for their lives, Harry roared and focused on the nearest student and sped up, teleportation was not easy in this dimension and he didn't want to risk it.

He saw Dust and Mercury trying to attack a large demon that held Laura by the neck, he was surprised to see David leaning over an unconscious Elixir.

It was time to intervene. He roared loudly and angrily as he landed heavily behind the demon he assumed was Belasco.

"Be gone beast, you have no business here." Belasco ordered dismissively. He was startled as the dragon suddenly vanished to become a young human man.

"You have my students. You have my mates. I have plenty of business here." Harry stated with an angry scowl as he stomped forward.

Belasco carelessly tossed Laura aside. "If you claim these creatures are yours then maybe you can tell me where to find her."

Harry wasn't in a talkative mood. This fool had attacked his friends and family. There was a price to be paid for such an act. Without breaking stride he swung his arms up as his lightsabre appeared in his hands, it barely sliced through Belasco's shoulder as the demon moved with impressive speed.

"You dare to attack me?!" Belasco roared.

"You attacked first." Harry growled before he began swinging again only to be blocked by another sword, only this one was wielded by a young girl with horns and goat legs.

"He is mine!" The girl spat.

Harry just shrugged and turned away leaving the girl to her fight.

"Aren't you going to help her?" Mercury asked frantically.

"She doesn't interest me, she has no soul and she is not a nice person, but she will make a good distraction." Harry said as he helped Laura to her feet, fixing her tattered clothes and healing her wounds. "Seriously Laura, you need stronger clothes… or you'll wind up wearing less than Emma." He scolded jokingly.

Laura just flung her arms around him and hugged him tightly whilst she tried not to cry. "I don't like dying." She whispered hoarsely.

Harry hugged her back.

"Are we leaving?" David asked, fear in his voice as he helped free the Stepford Cuckoos from the stone helmets they were trapped in.

"You lot are, I need to make sure this git doesn't try and come back to try again."

"You need the triplets." Laura stated. "He fears telepaths."

"He probably also fears phoenixes too." Harry smirked.

"HARRY! HELP! HARRY!"

He spun around to see a frantic and distraught Megan barrelling towards him as she half flew, half ran into him and hugged him tightly.

"Harry… she took my soul!" She sobbed into his chest.

Harry's hands snapped to her shoulders and she found herself at arms length as Harry stared at her, examining her intently. His eyes then snapped to hers. "Who did this?" He demanded.

"That bitch, calls herself 'Magik'." Santo growled angrily as he pointed to where the silver armoured goat girl and Belasco who were still fighting it out.

"Good god, what happened to you?" Harry asked as he took in Santo's new appearance. His rock body was now lined with lava.

Santo just shrugged. "I dunno. Cool though." He grinned as he examined his hands.

"Anole? You too?"

"I have never been so glad that you lied to us about taking our mutations away." He said sincerely as he flexed the now muscled and armoured arm that had replaced the one that the demons had cut off.

"All right. Let me go and deal with those-"

Harry was interrupted as the goat girl landed at their feet in a heap.

"Megan! Use your dagger! Strike him down!" The girl gasped in pain.

Megan just hid behind Santo as Harry stepped forward and hoisted Magik to her feet and examined her.

"Ah ha!" He exclaimed as he found what he was looking and ripped a medallion off her neck.

"NOOOOO!" She screamed in despair.

"Hey!" Harry snapped. "Not yours."

He turned and marched over to Santo. "Here, guard this with your life, understand?"

"Sure." Santo shrugged in his usual apathetic manner.

As Harry marched back past Magik his lightsabre swung out and removed her legs casually, the girl screamed in pain until Anole sent a stunner after her.

Harry didn't say a word as he increased his speed to a run and then to a charge as his lightsabre led the way and he barrelled into Belasco, but Belasco had been watching and spun away whilst impaling Harry through the chest with his own sword.

Harry fell to his knees with a shocked look on his face.

"Pitiful human." Belasco spat. "You really believe you can defeat me? The Devil?" He slowly withdrew his sword, revelling in the screams the black haired human made.

The kids were scared and terrified, Laura popped her claws and prepared to charge in until Celeste laid a hand on her arm. "Trust him. Trust Harry." She said with a sad smile.

If there was one person in the entire world who she trusted, it was Harry Potter.

"I rule Limbo! I command the demons! This is my realm! You will tell me where Illyana Rasputin is or I will force you to watch as your women are raped and ripped to shreds before you." He growled as he grasped Harry round the neck and lifted him to his eye level.

Harry, who at this point was pale and pasty with blood dripping down the corner of his mouth suddenly changed in demeanour. His eyes snapped to Belasco's and his mouth stretched into a grin that spoke of unpleasantness.

"Nah, I have a better idea." Harry snarked. His hands came up to Belasco's head and he began extending his soul beyond his body. "You get to die. I conquer your realm and then I'll find this girl and see if she doesn't want to spend a life of fun and happiness with and my friends."

Belasco was in exceptional pain as he began howling in agony.

"Girls! Call in the troops!" Harry ordered over his shoulder.

The Cuckoo's hands snapped from their sides to grasp the hand of their closest sister, their eyes began to glow.

Laura was just as shocked as the others when the triplets erupted in a burst of flame to be replaced by a single white and gold phoenix. The Phoenix began to sing loudly and shrilly causing the surrounding demons to fall to their knees and scream in terror and agony.

There were more bursts of fire as two more phoenixes flamed in with various X-Men holding on. The largest one which was recognisable as Fawkes immediately swooped over to Harry and Belasco and began flying circles around them as he left a trail of fire in his wake. The remaining Phoenix, Rachel Summers, made sweeping runs at the cringing ranks of demons.

"Laura, report." Scott ordered the young clone, knowing she would give the most coherent and relevant information.

"The one called Belasco is being dealt with by Harry. This one," she indicated the legless, armour-less and unconscious goat girl, "Has stolen part of Megan's soul. Harry said he will deal with it."

Honestly, Scott was expecting a bit more than that. "What about the de-" He then noticed that all the demons were screaming in agony.

"Is that Illyana?" Dani gasped as they arrived on the scene having been left behind after Harry took to his dragon form.

"Snowflake?" Came the near desperate cry of Colossus. "What happened to her?" Colossus demanded as he cradled her head in his lap and saw the missing legs.

"Harry cut off her legs, she stole part of Megan's soul." Anole offered.

"Why would he do that… why would she do that?" Colossus asked no one in particular.

"Because that is a soulless being." Harry said as he marched over.

"This is my sister!" Colossus snapped angrily.

"I doubt it. I always thought it was strange that Kurt had two souls, I thought it was a quirk of him being not entirely human." Harry mused.

"Kurt has two souls?" Dani asked in amazement.

"Nah, not really. He does have a foreign soul in him though. I guess it is your sister, I thought the two of you were some sort of soul mates, the soul is definitely related to you."

"Kurt has my sisters soul?" Colossus was becoming more and more confused.

"Technically… he probably doesn't even know he does otherwise he would avoid me like the plague, everyone knows I see souls." Harry shrugged.

"Then… who is this?" Cyclops asked.

"Just a soulless construct. Although I will nick some DNA, need it to make a new body for the soul to reside in." He explained.

"Harry, what about Belasco and… all these demons?" Cyclops asked as he gestured to the still screaming and wailing monstrosities.

"Belasco is dead. Phoenixes have a lovely cleansing ability when it comes to evil. As for the others, I recommend we get a little blood thirsty. We kill as many as we can and leave a message, if they ever leave Limbo we'll come back and finish the job." He declared with a bloodthirsty grin.

"Now that's a plan I can get behind." Wolverine grinned as he unsheathed his claws. "Mind if I get started?"

"Why don't you get some of your buddies to help out and lessen the load?" Harry suggested.

Wolverine grimaced, the first names that came to mind were not 'buddies' but where highly effective… if not at the top of Wolverines 'Avoid-At-All-Costs' list. Not that they were completely evil… just annoying.

"Can you pay them?" Wolverine asked cautiously.

"Sure, why not, gold or jewels do?"

"One of them might want some of your healing." Wolverine sighed. He was going to hate this, he knew it.

"Logan… why?"

Logan could understand the pure pleading and confusion in Harry's voice as they stood watching the ensuing battle.

"He might be certifiable, but he gets the job done." Logan grimaced as he watched Deadpool dive into another pile of demons.

Nobody was certain how he was doing it but every time he emerged from a skirmish he had a new outfit on. Everything from the original Van Hellsing to the latest Alucard character. Even Harry couldn't figure out where he got the costumes from. There had been an awkward moment where he had emerged from pile of dismembered limbs wearing a cheerleaders outfit with a wooden stake but nobody could figure out who he was supposed to be, although Harry had a sinking suspicion. The sight was disturbing enough that Harry was cursing the fact that Obliviate didn't work on him.

Elsewhere on the battlefield there were several phoenixes and a huge Fiendfyre dragon courtesy of Harry. Everyone else was standing back and taking pot shots at anything that happened to move. Occasionally when Deadpool would emerge a phoenix would even stop and stare depending on whether he had accidentally caught their attention. Each Phoenix had at some point turned to Fawkes and had a conversation quickly. Only Harry knew they were asking if Deadpool was a demon they should destroy… Fawkes would just laugh and move on.

"Logan! You don't call, you don't write, you don't try and eviscerate me… but then you call me in for this… and you pay me for it… all is forgiven!" Deadpool said happily as he bounced forward to hug Logan.

Logan's claws were up and out but that didn't deter the merc as he continued forward, impaling his chest on Logan's claws.

"You do care!"

"Wilson!" Logan growled.

"Glad to see your sense of humour is improving, ol' buddy."

"For god's sake Harry, would you pay him and send him off!" Logan pleaded.

Harry looked around the assembled students and heroes who had been with them in Limbo, they were all assembled on the mansion lawn. They were all watching the interaction between Wolverine and Deadpool in horror and disbelief.

"Wade, right?" Harry called out as he strolled over.

"Boss man!" Wade returned cheerfully. "Listen, do I need to ask for permission to use the word 'dead' in my name? 'Cos I've been using it for a while and just going by 'Pool'… not gonna cut it!" He asked as he slung an arm across Harry's shoulders.

Harry was amazed. He never thought he'd meet someone nuttier than him who was actually still clinically sane. And yet here he was.

"Erm… call yourself what you want." Harry said uncertainly. "Here's your jewels and gems… you sure you don't want gold or cash?"

"Nah, plenty of gold back home, but I need the gems to really look like a pirates treasure cave!"

"You have plenty of wenches?" Harry asked. A few of the students were a little worried they might find themselves being offered up.

"Well… I have m' wenches, but can ya truly ev'ar have enough?" Deadpool asked as he affected a pirate voice.

"I find you usually have enough when you realise that you're about to be keel-hauled by your current wenches." Harry mused.

"Right… so I reached 'enough' after one." Deadpool nodded vigorously.

"Well, you should be off the adults are getting nervous and the kids are just plain confused." Harry grinned as he patted Deadpool's shoulder. "Take a look in the mirror when you get home."

Deadpool's masked head tilted in askance before shrugging and walking off whilst whistling a pirate tune.

The denizens of the Mansion sighed in relief as the front gate closed behind him.

"He was fun!" Harry said cheerfully.

Everyone just stared at him, gobsmacked.

"Jean did warn us that Harry was no longer entirely 'sane'." Emma reminded them wearily.

Harry immediately ordered everyone to begin clean up and repairs, it was a great exercise for them to use their magic. As soon as that was done he ordered Scott and Emma to begin drawing up a rota for all the kids to go on a school provided vacation in small groups. Harry had many outside volunteers to help chaperone in the form of the heroes who he had been protecting.

There had been a highly disturbing moment when Deadpool had teleported in with his technology and ripped off his mask revealing flawless skin and a head of blonde hair and proceeded to snog Harry silly. He vanished without a word but Harry was looking very disturbed. No one dared bring it up.

His first task was dictated by a desperate Russian who grabbed himself and Kurt and hauled them to the infirmary.

"Where is Illyana?" Piotr demanded.

Harry pointed accusingly at Kurt. "There!"

"Harry, I believe Piotr is serious." Kurt said with a small smile.

Harry just shrugged. "Somehow you wound up carrying Illyana's soul." He walked over to one of the beds and began conjuring something.

It became clear after a few seconds he was creating a new body.

"Illyana." Piotr whispered emotionally.

"It's just a body, Piotr. It won't be your sister until I put her soul in." Harry warned.

"Vhy am I needed?" Kurt asked.

"As I said, somehow you managed to get Illyana's soul in you." He finished creating the body of what appeared to be a seventeen-year-old blond girl and conjured a second table for Kurt. "Come on, you should all know the drill by now."

"Do I even have a soul of my own?" Kurt asked, he had been called a demon and monster most of his life, the last thing he wanted was that to be confirmed.

"Sure, at the moment you just happen to have two." He didn't give Kurt a chance to question further as he knocked the blue mutant out and began attempting to extract Illyana's soul.

Piotr just watched anxiously as Harry worked. He had been about to ask why her body was so young but the image of her soul explained that.

"This is problematic." Harry mused.

"What! What!?" Piotr demanded.

"Would you relax!" Harry admonished. "Kurt's soul has been acting as a guardian to Illyana's soul. They are now heavily entwined."

Piotr grimaced. "Kurt is a good man. But my sister is too young for a relationship."

Harry just laughed. "She's seventeen! But I don't think he is interested in that type of relationship, but I believe your sister has gained another brother."

Piotr sighed in relief.

"Wakey wakey, Kurt!" Harry said as he began slapping the mutant's cheek.

"Mein friend, you have an unhealthy obsession vith slapping people." Kurt sighed. "How did it go?"

"You are Illyana's soul mate." Harry told him blandly.

"A little young for my tastes." Kurt drawled.

"She'll be eighteen in a few months."

"I suppose I can vait." Kurt sighed.

Meanwhile Piotr was turning bright red in anger and rage. "No! I forbid it!"

"But she'll be so hot, you saw her!" Kurt half begged.

"Gentlemen, I do believe Mr. Rasputin is about to have an aneurism."

The three men turned to the sound of the chuckling voice to see a tall bald man.

"Professor!" Kurt exclaimed with a happy smile.

"It is good to see you both, Kurt, Piotr." He said as he stepped forward and shook their hands. "I assume you are Doctor Potter? I am Charles Xavier." He offered his hand with a smile.

"Jean has nothing but good things to say about you… well, other than occasional misstep." He grinned and shook the hand. "But we all have those."

"To be clear, I am not really her soul mate?" Kurt asked as they turned back to Illyana as Piotr was desperate to have his sister back.

"No, you are. You spent so long guarding her soul it just happened."

"It is a very happy day to have one of our lost ones back." Charles said with a teary smile. "I wish I had arrived a few moments earlier to see you at work." He said to Harry.

"I'll be heading out in a bit, you are welcome to join me." Harry offered.

"Vhat var-torn country vill you be helping today?" Kurt asked with a sad smile.

"Sierra Lioane. T'Challa says he's been there and I will be travelling with him."

"I would come with you, but I must attend to my sister." Piotr apologised.

"No big. I can always handle these things on my own, people just seem to prefer-"

"ARRRHHGGG!"

They turned to see the Professor holding a hand to his face as blood poured from a gash above his left eyebrow. Charles had attempted to see Harry's mind but a ferocious dragon had attacked him, this had translated into his wound in the real world.

"Huh… that was pretty stealthy." Harry mused. "I didn't even feel you trying to get in. I trust you know better now?"

Charles looked suitably ashamed as Piotr and Kurt glared at him. "I apologise, I wasn't actually trying to breach your defences, merely observe them."

"Next time, ask."


	4. Chapter 16 - Chapter 20

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> M-Day. A day that would go down in history as the emergence of a new breed of humans. The Magicals. It all started with one individual who thought he was there to save the mutants. Sequel to Potter's Protector, rating for violence and swearing, no slash.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a Repost all words belong to mjimeyg

*Chapter 16*: Chapter 16  
A/N: Yes, as stated in chapter 17 I screwed up, here is the real chapter 16, if you are new to this story then ignore these A/N's and keep reading... unless you want to laugh at my cock ups! (Edit: 2/1 (January)/2013)

Chapter 16

Charles watched in amazement as Harry worked amongst the people of the mining village in Sierra Lione. Emma was his guide as many of the X-Men and students worked with other villagers to improve living conditions.

"This is actually our first visit to this area. Harry has been taking us to places in Africa to deal with villages suffering from the AIDS epidemic or requiring food, water and other basics."

Charles was watching as his students and their teachers transformed wooden structures to stone and the same with metal structures. Several students such as Julian and Santo were using their powers to create a large crater nearby.

"What are they doing?" He asked as he indicated the digging students.

"Creating an artificial lake." Emma answered. "When they are finished with that they will work on a sewage system as well."

"This is amazing work, far beyond the expectations I had when I first dreamt of the X-Men." Charles enthused. "I'm curious, why doesn't the world know you are doing this?"

Emma had a look of disgust on her face. "Harry explained it best when he took us to Sudan. We arrived in a village that had been pillaged by marauders. The women had been raped and the children taken. All the men were dead.

"Needless to say, we wanted to go out for blood. But Harry warned us that we couldn't do it as the X-Men. We couldn't go out and start battles in foreign countries without having the governments of the world turn on us.

"Harry, Laura and Wolverine went tracking with Shiro and Warren whilst the rest of us remained behind to begin healing the survivors. They hunted down every single bastard and killed them. They managed to recover most of the children… the ones that were alive at least."

"They killed them?" He asked in horror.

"What did you think they would do? Smack their bottoms and give them a good talking to?" Emma spat.

"Surely there was another way?"

"When you can think of one that does not leave behind some kind of possible threat then you can bring it to Harry. Until then, I suggest you keep those opinions to yourself. Remember that although Harry's nature is Death, his desire is life. And his desires are very strong."

Emma walked away leaving the Professor to wrestle with what he perceived to be a challenge. He knew there was a time to kill, but there had to be a better way than annihilating large groups of people.

"AAAARRRRRRRRRHHHHH"

The piercing scream caused every head to turn towards the source where Harry was on his knees with his head tilted back and his mouth open in agony. As his soul mates rushed towards him he vanished.

"What was that?" Cessily asked worriedly.

"He was hurting… badly." Lorna said worriedly.

"I can't teleport to him!" Laura said frantically.

"He's blocking us." Celeste explained as her sisters tried to calm Laura.

"He doesn't want us to follow." Mindee continued.

"But we can't contact him either." Phoebe finished.

"Would Cerebro be of any use?" Charles offered.

"If Harry doesn't want to be found…" Phoebe began.

"He won't be." The three finished as one.

All around him there was destruction. Rubble was strewn everywhere. Buildings had clearly stood proudly only moments before… but this was evident only by the crumbling and smouldering brick walls… none of which stood higher than four feet.

There was not a body in sight.

But Harry could see millions of souls.

Souls that just stood there in shock and anguish at what they had just experienced. Harry knew what had happened. He knelt in the crater that was clearly a mile in diameter at the least. A nuclear explosion had occurred. The fading remnants of the mushroom cloud still hung in the air and the nuclear winds where blowing harshly.

Harry had experience with nuclear bombs, he couldn't be sure he got them all back in his world but he always managed to stop them going off in public places. He could feel the radiation burning his skin and eyes. His head was bald even as his hair constantly tried to grown back.

"Listen to me." Harry spoke quietly to the souls. He knew they had heard him. This wasn't Harry Potter speaking. Nor was it the Master of Magic.

This was Death.

"This is not the end for you. Find your way across to the other side where new adventures await. Leave this universe to me and I will seek retribution for your deaths."

Harry then focused on the other side and called forth Xander Harris. He communicated with the other side. He closed his eyes and focused on the soul of the man who became his father. He called out with all that he was.

"Hello, Harry." Came the sad yet proud voice of Xander Harris, Lord Hogwarts.

Harry looked up and saw the ethereal form of the man he loved all of his long life, the man who made him who he was today. He smiled. "Hi Dad."

"You don't write, you don't call-"

"Have you been talking to Deadpool?" Harry interrupted.

"Who?"

"Never mind. You see all the souls?"

"Yeah, how did this happen?" Xander frowned.

"Someone set off a nuclear device on this planet. There are millions of souls here, I felt them as they were snuffed out. Men, women and children. I will be seeking justice for them, but they could use a guide to lead the other side."

"Just like Genosha, Chernobyl and Hiroshima." Xander nodded.

Harry had visited the site of Chernobyl to see if he could speed up the process of cleansing the area of radiation. What he found were millions of souls trapped because they couldn't figure how to cross over. Some didn't even realise they were dead.

"Leave this to me. You take care of this side of the Veil." Xander assured him as he reached forward and hugged him, only Harry had the ability to touch a soul. "Remember: Don't be a stranger. We can spare a few minutes to talk, even if it is a little painful." He admonished as he wandered off and began addressing various souls of various species.

Harry sighed as he watched his father move off, a sense of homesickness and longing fell over him. He shrugged it off as he shifted to his dragon form and took to the skies.

Harry flew for more than ten miles before he encountered life. They were badly burned and some had broken bones from the force of the explosion and flying debris. He landed quickly to aid them.

"I can heal your wounds but you will need to continue fleeing the blast zone or the radiation will kill you." Harry said as he landed.

They were a mix of species, the more humanoid ones had pink skin and dark hair. On the ends of their chins were two dangling strips of skin, like a type of beard, but both male and female had them. Then there were the yellow, four-armed bug like creatures.

"Who are you?" One of the humanoid aliens asked.

"I am Death." Harry said without emotion or pause as he worked. "I felt the deaths caused by the explosion here and… it hurt. I came to help and to try and figure out what happened."

"We were celebrating… our King, he saved us all and then there was a bright light." One of the bug like creatures sobbed.

"Was your king caught in the blast?"

"Wouldn't matter." An elderly bug like alien said with pride. "Nothing can kill the Green Scar. He will rise up and seek vengeance for us."

"Do you know where he might go?"

Harry flew in dragon form in the direction the aliens had told him the Green Scar would go. He would likely regroup with the allies he sent to beings known as Wildebots, if not there then with the group sent to the Fillians and finally, in orbit nearby. Harry didn't relish the idea of searching the vast expanse of space.

He immediately dismissed the idea of searching for the Wildebots. They were described to him as Robots Gone Wild. He didn't think the natives understood the connotations that had for him as a human who lived through 20th century Earth's culture… but he tried not to let his imagination get away from him.

His main reason for not searching for them was that he had never encountered an artificial soul before and didn't want to waste time searching for what was hard to find when he could easily follow the light of souls. It was more likely that any souls he found, living or dead, would be able to point him in the right direction just as well.

He had to fly for over an hour before he encountered plenty of souls.

And a spaceship.

The blast of the nuclear device had disrupted the stability of the planet's tectonic plates and the natives were struggling to find safe harbour. Harry discovered the ship trying to save some of them

On the ground a grey-skinned alien stood motionless as lava erupted around him. Harry briefly thought of bringing Amara to the planet to help but decided to hold off. Above the grey-skinned man a being comprised of yellow rock was desperately trying to convince him to take his hand.

But all of a sudden the lava calmed and the ground began to stop trembling. Harry instantly knew why as he could feel the cause.

His soul mates had arrived.

"HARRY JAMES POTTER SUMMERS MCGONAGALL HARRIS! WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?!" Came the highly irritated voice of Lorna Dane.

"I can't believe Jean told you that." Harry groused as he turned around to face not only his soul mates but also the rest of the X-Men.

"Next time you decide to run off you had better not block us!" Dani hissed as she stormed forward and poked him in the chest.

"I didn't do it intentionally. Besides, I arrived in the middle of a nuclear fallout. Until I escaped the fallout zone I was bald, I don't think you would have appreciated it." Harry pouted.

"Then next time tell us what was happening!"

"Fine! I will!" Harry crossed his arms with that pout.

It lasted until he found a mass of black hair flying in his face as Laura wrapped herself around him.

"I couldn't hear you." She whispered in his ear. He could hear she was trying to rain in her emotions.

Harry kissed her hair and held her tightly. "I'm sorry, this never happened to me before. Millions of people were instantly killed in the blink of an eye and I was dragged here as I felt their pain. I have to find out what happened and make it right."

"You can't rebuild their bodies?" Scott asked.

"Their bodies were vaporised. There is nothing to build them from. All I could do was call for my dad from the Other Side and ask him to guide the souls on so they didn't remain trapped here."

"Who would do this?" Hisako asked. The thought of a nuclear bomb did not sit well with her. She grew up in Japan and had visited memorials and heard stories from her grandfather of the bombs of World War II.

"It was you humans!" The yellow rock creature spoke up angrily. "You had a bomb on the shuttle which you used to exile the Green Scar to our planet and you saw he was happy and punished him for it!"

"Humans did this?" Harry asked.

"Who's the Green Scar?" Logan muttered.

*THUD*

"I am." They all turned to see the ten-foot tall green figure dressed in gladiators armour.

"Hulk?" Scott asked. "What are you doing here?"

"Ask your precious leaders, Fury, Richards, Iron Man, Namor, Black Bolt, Xavier and Strange." The Hulk spat. "They tricked me and Banner into helping them and then they fired me into space to this world where I had fight for my life."

"Why would they do that?" Scott asked not quite believing it.

"Isn't it obvious darling." Emma drawled. "They decided that the Hulk is too great a threat to the Earth and decided to foist him off onto another planet."

"They killed my people. They killed my wife. They killed my unborn child." Hulk said quietly with anger simmering.

"That's horrible!" Hisako gasped.

"Now I will kill them."

"You can't! Earth needs them!" Dani argued.

"Earth needed me too, and when they were done with me they tossed me out like garbage. But then they took away all I achieved despite their attempts to exile me."

"You won't kill them." Harry said quietly as he tapped a finger on his chin thoughtfully.

"You gonna try and stop me little man?" Hulk demanded as he stomped up to Harry, the ground shaking with every step.

Harry looked up at the Hulk before he smiled and hovered up to eye level. "No, I'm going to convince you of a better way."

"Who are you that you would trespass on our lands?" Demanded a red haired woman dressed in a purple skin-tight costume. She stood next to an imposing white man dressed all in black with an antenna shaped like a tuning fork attached to his forehead. He sat on a throne overlooking the tables and various humanoid creatures in the large throne room.

"I am Death. Black Bolt, you will come with me to answer for your crimes against the Hulk and his people." Harry commanded.

The people around him laughed derisively.

"No one commands the King." The red head declared.

"No one defies Death." Harry retorted as he vanished on the spot before reappearing next to Black Bolt and causing them both to vanish.

"Is it true you actually battled Iron Man because you opposed their plan regarding Banner and the Hulk?" Harry asked. He floated miles below the sea's surface, he grew gills that he had learnt to mimic with his metamorphamagi abilities.

"Why do you ask?" Namor frowned. "Are you with that Oaf and the boy? They seek to aid the Hulk when he returns."

"No, the ones who sent the Hulk away caused a nuclear explosion that killed millions of people. The Hulk had claimed the crown of the planet and his wife and unborn child died in his arms."

"DAMN THEM!" Namor raged as the waters began to swirl. "I warned them! And now the surface world will reap the fruits of their arrogance."

"The Hulk knows of your actions and sends his appreciation. He offers the opportunity to sit and discuss the situation and possible treaties and trade negotiations. In the meantime, there will be a tribunal held tomorrow. If you wish to attend, hold this and say the word 'portus', it will take you there as a guest of the Hulk." Harry said as he offered a ring of pure gold.

Harry appeared on the Shield Helli-carrier completely invisible. No one could see or touch him as he walked up to Iron Man grabbed his shoulder and vanished.

Ben Grimm jumped up with anticipation as Harry teleported into the Fantastic Four's living room.

"Harry! Got another planetary invasion for us?"

Ben and the others were worried when Harry didn't even crack a smile.

"I'm sorry Ben, I'm here on very serious business. Reed Richards, you are charged with being party to attempted murder and genocide. You will come with me to stand trial for your crimes."

"What? Harry you can't be serious!" Sue argued as she moved to stand in front of her husband even as Johnny and Ben did the same.

"I am. You know what you did to Bruce Banner and the Hulk. You made serious mistakes and now you need to answer for them."

"We haven't seen the Hulk in ages, not since before the whole M-Day mess." Johnny snapped angrily.

Harry ignored them. "Reed?"

"Can I have a moment with my family?"

"Reed!" Sue exclaimed as her husband seemed wiling to give in so easily.

"Be at the Mansion by nine o'clock tomorrow morning. Do not make me have to come for you." Harry warned.

Tony looked around his dungeon cell. He wasn't chained to the walls but he was clearly a prisoner. His companion in captivity was Black Bolt. Again, neither was chained.

"Do you know why we are here?" Tony asked.

"We are hear to answer for our crimes against the Hulk and the resulting atrocities that occurred as a result, such as the mass murder of millions of people."

The two prisoners turned and saw Stephen Strange in the cell across from theirs.

"Strange! He got you too?" Stark asked as a bit of hope was dashed.

"Not exactly." Stephen answered hesitantly. "I was informed of my crimes and voluntarily submitted myself to his custody."

"So you could break us out?" Tony asked as the hope re-appeared.

"No, Lord Death is the Master of Magic. I could try but I would fail, and I would not try, we must answer for our mistakes."

Stephen began to explain exactly why they were being held prisoner.

Reed Richards teleported himself magically to the front gates of the X-Men's Mansion. He was already in trouble for mass murder he didn't want to add insult to injury by just rudely teleporting onto their property.

He went to press the buzzer to announce himself only to find himself seated next to Dr. Strange. Looking around he saw that he was in a partitioned clear cell in a building that looked like it belonged in early Victorian times. Seated opposite in a far more comfortable and open row of seats were various aliens… and the Hulk.

The Hulk was glaring at them angrily but did not seem inclined to move against them… yet.

There was a larger array of chairs to the right of their enclosed area and seated there were various heroes from Earth and a mixture of similar aliens as the ones that sat across from them.

To the left was a judge's box as seen in most American courtrooms. Seated there was Harry Potter, Death.

"I offer greetings to all life-forms present here today." Harry spoke firmly and clearly. "Our purpose here is to seek justice for the crimes perpetrated against, the being known as The Hulk and his loyal subjects and adopted planet as well as the human male known as Bruce Banner.

"The evidence will be presented and then the accused may speak in their defence."

Reed shook his head as Tony stood up and began shouting, only no sound came from his mouth.

"With respect Your Honour, may I join the accused?"

There was a rise in murmurs as Charles Xavier spoke.

"For what purpose?" Harry asked.

"Although I was not party to this decision, I should have been. I am a member of their group and in light of recent revelations I feel I should take responsibility for the actions of this group which I am a part of."

Harry frowned. "I have spoken with the Hulk about your participation. We know of your membership but we were able to agree that we would not hold people responsible for the actions of others."

Charles gave a sad smile. "Which makes it all the more important that I join the accused. A show of good faith and morality, I believe that after much soul searching over the past night, that I would have agreed with their decision, at the very least I know I would not have spoken and acted in Bruce Banner's defence like Prince Namor did. If justice is to be served then I should join them."

Harry was silent for a full minute as he contemplated the situation. The Hulk had wanted Xavier as well for what happened, Harry had talked him down. Now he had to decide whether to allow Xavier's request to be tried along with his peers.

He turned and looked at the Hulk. "We will allow Charles Xavier to stand with his comrades, but we will acknowledge the spirit in which he has made this offer, one in the search of peace and justice."

The Hulk just grunted and gave a sharp nod.

Harry waved a hand and Xavier disappeared from the public gallery to the defendants box.

"First we have a partial recording from the shuttle which exploded killing millions and destroying an entire city. It will be several hundred years before the area is habitable again. The recording is the message the defendants sent to the Hulk and Bruce Banner when they attempted to exile him."

Harry noticed Reed Richards stand up.

"What are you doing?" Stark hissed.

"The right thing, Tony." He said with resignation. "Sir, I have a full copy of the transmission here if you wish." He addressed the Tribunal.

Harry nodded and the disk vanished to reappear in his hand.

"Why are you doing this, Reed?" Tony demanded. "They have no right to hold us!"

"We took actions, our actions had consequences, now we need to accept responsibility for those actions. Admit it, you would expect nothing less from us if they accidentally wiped out one of our cities. Same for you and your people Black Bolt."

"Silence!" Harry snapped. "Pay attention, you need to learn from what happens here."

Harry handed the disk to Cyclops who loaded it up on a computer he had just returned with. A little bit of magic from Harry and the image and sound was increased so all could see. They listened as the voice of Reed Richards sounded and the video played.

"Bruce, we're so sorry, but you've left us with little choice…" On the video the men from the defendants box barring Xavier could be seen looking at the camera. "Time and time again, your anger and power have threatened the entire planet.

"So when we learned that Fury had sent you into space, we had to seize the opportunity.

"I have always thought of us as friends, Bruce. So I am truly sorry. But for your sake and ours, we're sending you away. It's the only way we can be sure.

"I know you must hate us, Bruce. But I believe in my heart that this may be the greatest opportunity of your life.

"We picked your destination carefully. A Lush planet. Full of vegetation and game. But no intelligent life forms. There will be no one there to hurt you. And no one you can hurt.

"You always said you wanted to be left alone… may you finally find peace."

There was a stunned silence as the members in the public gallery finally put together what had happened. They hadn't even given the Hulk a chance to defend himself, they had pulled a cowardly manoeuvre.

That didn't even take into account what they did to Bruce, the man they had a nerve to call 'friend'.

"The Hulk never made it to the destined planet." Harry explained to the gallery. "He was in a ship over which he had no control. He couldn't defend himself. His ship was thrown off course and he landed on a planet where he was forced into gladiatorial combat.

"He fought and nearly died several times. Then he joined the rebellion, he fought again, only this time he fought for his freedom instead of the forced entertainment of others.

"When he eventually won he found himself the reluctant ruler of the planet. All he wanted was to be left alone with his new wife and soon to be born child. But the planet needed him and he answered the call."

Harry turned to the defendants. "Then the worst of your follies occurred. The engine on your shuttle exploded. An entire city of millions were vaporised. Including the Hulk's wife and unborn child.

"You killed the Queen and Heir of an entire planet."

There were gasps as the enormity of the situation dawned on the public gallery, it was clear that Stark and Black Bolt were unaware of just what they had been responsible for. Stark was pale whilst Black Bolt had his head bowed.

"What is important to remember here is that we are not looking at this in terms of merely black and white." Harry continued. "The responsibility is yours." He told the defendants. "But they were a result of negligence not an active attempt at murder and genocide. This has been taken into account with regards to your sentencing."

Tony stood up immediately to protest. "You said we could defend ourselves!"

"I said you could speak in your defence. But the facts are straight-forward. Are you going to claim that anything said here is untrue?"

"No, but I would definitely argue that we aren't murderers!"

"So did I. At least, not in the traditional sense. No, you are guilty of negligence, but a negligence so great that you killed millions as a result.

"If you wish to speak then you may do so now. You may decide the order in which you wish to address the court.

"Black Bolt, Emma Frost has offered to broadcast your spoken thoughts to the rest of us, unedited."

Black Bolt slowly stood and nodded to Harry and then to Emma who was seated in the front row. She put a hand to her temple and closed her eyes as all the assembled began to hear the rarely heard voice of Black Bolt.

"I wish to deny my responsibility… but I keep thinking: what would I do if it were my people killed? My wife murdered? No. I will face my judgement. I ask only that I be allowed to make arrangements for my absence from my people." Black Bolt sat down as Namor looked at him in disgust.

"Your duties as a leader have been taken into account with regards to your punishment." Harry said reassuringly. He looked to next three defendants.

It was Reed who stood up this time. "At the time I thought my actions were not only justified, but I thought that maybe I was doing Bruce a favour. My first mistake was thinking I knew best for someone else." He said sadly. "Since the day we sent the Hulk into space I couldn't help but ask myself one question: What would Bruce have said if we offered him the opportunity to go to this planet of his own free will?

"If I was truly his friend I would have realised he would have jumped at the chance and offered his own astounding intellect to ensuring he made the journey safely. I would have realised that I didn't have to lose my friend entirely, I could have still kept in touch with him.

"I am a failure as a friend.

"I am not a murderer. But I am a killer… I am ashamed and I cannot bear to look my children in the eyes." Reed returned to his seat as tears filled his eyes.

Tony stood and stepped forward. "I don't think it really matters what I say. I've been judged without being allowed to have a proper American trial. I can't say I am surprised that many of you would go along with this, after all, you are wanted by the American Government for crimes." He spoke directly to people like Captain America.

"Did we make a mistake? Yes. We should have taken more care and put more precautions into the shuttle. But we were justified. I definitely don't believe we should be held accountable for what happened when the Hulk landed on the wrong planet though."

Harry didn't bother acknowledging Tony Stark, he just looked to Stephen Strange to see if he had anything to say for himself.

"Other than to express my remorse and accept my responsibility, I have nothing to say. We were wrong. We made a mistake. Now we must accept responsibility." With that, Dr. Strange returned to his seat.

Harry turned to the Hulk. "Do you have anything you wish to say?"

The members of the gallery couldn't help but hold their collective breath as the massive ten foot tall behemoth rose to his feet slowly. He looked like he was going to say something, but then just grunted and sat back down.

Harry lowered his head with a frown on his features. He had presided as judge many times in his home reality, but he had never had to deal with a case such as this. He and Neville had prosecuted many genocidal dictators, bigots, warmongers and the like. But this was the first case of accidental mass murder he had dealt with.

He turned and faced the defendants. "When the bomb went off, I was drawn to the centre of the event by the millions of souls that had been ripped from their bodies. If I hadn't been there then the place would have become haunted as the souls would be left to wander aimlessly.

"I have had to visit places like Chernobyl in both our universes, also Genosha in this universe. In other words, your actions had consequences beyond the grave.

"After much discussion with the Hulk we were able to come to an understanding and a suitable punishment. This is your sentence:

"For a period of one thousand years you will undertake hard labour on the planet where so many lives were lost. You will work not only to rebuild the city but you will put your minds and powers to work in restoring the ecosystem."

"We won't live that long!" Tony shouted.

"I am Death." Harry glared. "I will decide when you die.

"However, the Hulk has granted me a request. Just as he has suffered simply from the loss of his beloved wife, he has agreed not to subject your families to the same stress as they have done nothing to warrant it. As such, in one thousand years I will come to collect you from the planet and return you back to this place and time to resume your lives. Hopefully you will have learnt your lessons and become better men for it."

"Thank you! Thank you!" Came the cry of relief from a crying Sue Richards in the gallery.

The Hulk merely gave a slight incline of his head to the distraught wife.

"Know this: for every attempt at escape or defiance another century will be added to your sentence. I have never known a mortal soul to survive the mortal plane for more than five thousand years." Harry warned. "After that time I will have no choice but to kill you."

Harry waved a hand and the defendants vanished. Harry then addressed the gallery.

"You will find that you are unable to discuss what happened here today when you leave. Despite their crimes, those men are respected leaders of the world. If the population of Earth heard what had happened it could be detrimental to the stability of civilisation.

"Make sure you learn from their mistakes. Every action has a consequence. You will be responsible for those consequences. No matter how good your intentions.

"This hearing is closed." Harry declared as he stood and made his way down to where the Hulk and his people sat.

"I know it's not as bloodthirsty as you might have wanted, but in the long run both you and Bruce will be thankful you didn't push for their deaths." He told the Hulk.

"Still angry." The Hulk grunted. "But will enjoy watching them sweat."

"I'll be round at least once a month to give them a check up but remember, they are highly intelligent people so put their minds to work."

"Miek wanted blood. Miek will die before them. So will Miek's brothers. Then we will be no more." Stated an extremely large black bug like creature with four arms and huge carapace, it looked like a beetle but with a humanoid face.

"You can't reproduce?" Harry asked.

"Our last Queen was killed by the Spikes." He spat.

"Can you get to her body?"

"YOU WILL NOT HAVE HER!" Miek screamed causing the heroes in the gallery to suddenly go on alert.

Harry didn't move he simply responded calmly. "If I can get some of her DNA I can rebuild her body, due to the massive amount of souls lost from your planet I may be able to convince her soul to return to this realm. She could then help you rebuild your people."

"You can really do that?" The pink skinned female asked in awe.

"Sure. I can't do it for everyone, there is a bit of leeway here because of the mass death." Harry shrugged.

"Caiera." The Hulk said suddenly. "Can you give her back?"

The aliens that stood with the Hulk bowed their heads in sadness. They knew the Hulk as an unstoppable force that freed their whole planet from a tyrant, but seeing him like this… as another mortal capable of feeling sadness and emotional pain was new to them. It hurt them as well.

"I don't know." Harry admitted. "To start with, I would need a sample of her DNA to rebuild her body from. And then it would be up to my counterpart on the Other Side. For Miek's Queen, the fact that her not returning would result in the extinction of his people gives me a place to argue from. But otherwise for your wife… we would need to appeal to the compassion of the keepers of the Other Side."

"If Other Side is willing to return Green Scar's Queen, Miek will not ask for Queen as payment." Miek said resolutely.

"Your people will die Miek!" The pink skinned female gasped.

"We are warbound." Miek declared as though it explained everything. The others could only nod in understanding.

"Return to your planet, find the DNA of both Miek's Queen and the Hulk's wife. I will contact the Other Side and see what can be done." Harry assured them.

Harry returned to the planet in the blink of an eye, to the same place he had met the Hulk. Once there he again called upon his father.

"Harry! Three times in one year! What's the occasion?" Xander Harris' ethereal form smiled teasingly.

"Hey Dad, I was hoping to request a boon from the Other Side."

"I love it when you use those old timey words in your British accent… 'boon'." Xander giggled.

"You mean unlike when you say them and it sounds dorky?"

"Hey!"

"Look, one of the souls that died before the mass event was the soul surviving female member of an insectoid race. I was hoping we might be able to work something out so she could come back and help save them from extinction."

Xander though about it for a few moments. "You realise that with a single female they will rapidly reproduce? You aren't worried about them being a threat?"

"I'm aware of the possibility, but I think they could be worth it. The planet they live on is ruled by someone more than capable of smacking them about on his own if needed."

"Ok, shouldn't be a problem. You've racked up more than enough favours over here to cash in on." Xander shrugged.

"I have?" Harry asked surprised.

"Yeah! It's not the fact that you help so many souls cross over, it's that you prevent the truly evil ones from doing so." Xander said enthusiastically.

"Well… I hate to push my luck…" Harry began hesitantly. "The new king of this planet, The Hulk, his wife Caiera was killed in the blast, she was the only good thing in his life, any chance she could come back… if I can make her body that is."

"I'll put in the requests, give me an hour or so to track them down and make the offers."

"I think this is hers." The Hulk told Harry as he handed over a piece of cloth.

"Think?"

The Hulk just shrugged.

"Never mind, let's just get started." Harry sighed.

"Wait!" Miek suddenly called out nervously.

Gathered were the Hulk and his Warbound and the Illuminate, the Illuminate where there to witness the power Harry had.

"Miek must confess the truth." Miek said shamefully. "Miek knows it wasn't human's who killed our people. Miek knows it was the Red King loyalists."

There were gasps from the Warbound as the Hulk growled.

"Explain!" The Hulk demanded as he grabbed Miek by the throat and lifted him over his head.

"Miek saw them do it." The large beetle like creature explained frantically. "They put bomb on warp core, want to kill Green Scar!"

Reed Richards fell to his knees in exhausted relief at the realisation that he hadn't been responsible for the deaths of millions.

"Release us at once then." Tony demanded.

"Silence!" Harry snapped. "Your sentence will be amended, but you are still guilty for the crimes against the Hulk and Bruce banner."

"Which were justified!" Stark argued.

"What if Captain America decided to exile you off of the planet because your Superhero Registration Act posed too great a threat to the Earth? If you made it back, wouldn't you seek justice?" Harry retorted.

Harry turned away back to the Hulk and Miek.

"Why did you lie?" Harry asked.

"Didn't lie!"

"You withheld the truth. Just as bad in this case, the Hulk certainly thinks so."

Miek sagged in the Hulk's grip in shame. "Miek wanted to destroy humans. Destroy whole planet. Make others feel what Miek and his brothers do."

"You violated our oath as Warbound." The grey skinned male name Hiroim said solemnly.

"Miek knows. Miek accepts punishment." He said. "But Miek begs you to bring back Queen, let Miek's people live!"

"That particular decision is mine." Harry told them firmly. "But the decision about what to do about you Miek, that's up to your Warbound brother's and sisters." Harry had experienced a lot of cultures but it was the Goblins back home that had taught him about what it meant to be a warrior. Those experiences are what he gave to the rest of the world and he could respect something as sacred as a bond between warriors.

"Miek knows, Miek is just grateful his egg brothers won't be the last."

They had watched in amazement as Harry rebuilt the bodies of Miek's people's queen and the Hulk's wife. Then seeing the souls placed in those bodies. Stark and Richards were running through the scientific explanations in their minds whilst Black Bolt merely watched, thankful that he had made the right choice in accepting his part.

Dr. Strange merely watched, honoured to witness Lord Death save a dying race.

When it was done Harry turned to the Illuminate. "Although you are guilt free for killing the millions of people on this planet, you are still guilty of the crimes against the Hulk and Bruce Banner. Your crimes led to him nearly being killed. As this would have resulted in the deaths of both the Hulk and Bruce, I am changing your sentence to twenty-five years for both. A total of fifty years in service to the Hulk and his people."

Reed and Strange looked relieved whilst Stark looked outraged. Black Bolt was impassive.

"Miek, it has been decided by your Warbound brethren that you will serve the same sentence except on Earth. Your actions nearly caused an all out war."

"Miek understands. Miek is sorry." The beetle like alien said mournfully.

"I will be back often to check on you." Harry told the Illuminate. "Once you have completed your sentence you will be returned to this point in time on Earth.

"Hulk, could we speak privately before I return?"

Harry moved away as Hulk and Caiera followed.

"What I am about to discuss is private." Harry warned with a pointed glance at Caiera.

"We hold no secrets from each other." Caiera said with a fond smile at her husband.

The Hulk just grunted.

Harry smiled. "Good. Hulk, can you show me Bruce?"

The Hulk began to growl. "I'll never submit!"

"Don't want you to. It's just something I need to observe, a theory I want to test." Harry assured them. "I promise to kick you in the balls if you can't turn back." Harry grinned.

The Hulk suddenly burst out in surprised laughter at the audacity of the puny human. He laughed long and loud as the others a little way apart stared in awe at the sight of the Hulk laughing.

The Hulk eventually calmed down to a chuckle. He had to admit, it would take a lot for him to turn his anger and rage on Death. Especially after he gave him back his Queen.

The Hulk took some deep calming breaths and attempted to relax.

Harry watched carefully as the large green Hulk shrank to the Caucasian human Bruce.

"He really doesn't want to be locked away." Bruce warned.

"He isn't!" Harry said with a raised eyebrow. "Bring him back."

The change back was much quicker.

"See what you were looking for?" The Hulk grunted.

Harry nodded. "Definitely. You are Bruce Banner. You aren't two separate entities."

"I am the Hulk!" He said as he took a menacing step forward. "Not some pitiful little human!"

"You are both. You, The Hulk, are Bruce Banner without limitations or inhibitions. At the moment you are ruled by your anger and rage, but if you can truly accept that you are Bruce Banner and if Bruce Banner can accept that he is you, then you will have far more control over yourself, you won't be a slave to rage!"

The Hulk growled angrily but Caiera stepped between them, facing her husband. "I do not remember my time whilst dead, but I do know that Lord Death is not lying to you. He would not." She said soothingly.

"Look, it's not something you need to focus on today, or even this year, but you should think about it." Harry advised. "If not for you then for your son."

"Son!" The Hulk exclaimed.

"But I thought the baby was lost when I died?"

Harry just smiled. "What can I say, my dad pulled a few strings. He's a sucker for babies."

Harry walked into the Danger Room the next day to find Sue, Johnny and Ben along with Dr. Strange's assistant Wong and Black Bolt's wife Medusa waiting for the return of their family friends.

Apparently nobody was there for Tony Stark.

"Ok, remember, if everything went well then they have been gone for about fifty years since yesterday." Harry explained the assembled group. "They will need some time to readjust to life on Earth at this time and to the all of you."

"What do you mean 'if everything went well'?" Johnny asked.

"Depends on how well behaved they are. Every escape attempt will earn the escapee an added century."

"Don't you know if they tried?" The Sue asked.

"Nope, I won't know till they tell us. I haven't even tried time travel yet and I really don't want to." Harry shuddered.

"But how will you bring them back here if you don't go and get them?" Ben asked.

"My future self will handle that… speak of the devil!" Harry remarked as the former prisoners arrived with Harry in tow.

The Harry from the future quickly spoke up. "Before we begin, call me James, it makes it so much easier when there are two of us."

"Been doing a lot of time travel?" Harry from the present asked as the newly released men were greeted by their loved ones… and Tony just stood there looking miffed.

'James' just groaned. "Like you wouldn't believe. Anyway, here are your naughty boys. Reed, Stephen and Black Bolt were excellently behaved. They actually have a standing invitation at Bruce and Caiera's home. They actually only served ten years before Bruce decided to put them on probation for five years.

"Tony has been gone for one hundred years." James leaned in and whispered conspiratorially. "Bruce says he seems to be learning though."

"He accepted his two parts are the same?"

"Oh yes, but his colour reflects his mood. He's no longer always green."

"Cool. Anything I should know about the future?"

"Probably, but why ruin the surprise?" James grinned.

"I see I haven't regained my sanity yet."

"Our father's were Xander and James. Our stepmother was Nymphadora Tonks. We never stood a chance!" James laughed.

"You gonna stay for some nostalgia?" Harry asked.

"No, gets too tempting to ask and answer questions. Plus I still need to work on my time jumping. I can never make it exact, but at least I can now make it to within a day or two."

"Before or after you left?"

"After. Means I tend to miss out on certain events. We're getting better though!"

Harry gave the parolees a check up before sending them on their way. 'James' had already done so but it was always better to double check. 'James' had already departed after giving Harry the necessary details about the Illuminate.

*Chapter 17*: Chapter 17  
Go back one chapter... I screwed up! (Edit: 2/1(January)/2013)

AN: First of all I screwed up and I apologise. I posted chapter 17 instead of chapter 16... what's weird is none of you noticed. At least no one who reviewed. Go back to chapter chapter 16 for the missing chapter. The good news is that there is very little follow on from these chapters so you can pretend for now it is chapter 18... bad news is you will kick yourselves later when you realise I type the chapter numbers at the top of the story AND there is a slight reference to it in Tony's POV in this chapter further down this page.

Anyway... normal posting will hopefully resume tomorrow with the real chapter 18.

Chapter 17

Things fell back into a nice regular pattern. Harry tended to join Emma in her ethics classes where he offered his insight into ruling and society as it develops. He also spent a lot of time in Wakanda making magicals and then taking them to keep the villages around the world he helped fix up safe.

For today he was enjoying a day at the zoo with MJ and Jean. Jean was now about five years old and very energetic.

"How did you cope when it was just the two of you back in your dimension?" MJ asked as she watched little Jean babble happily at the spider monkeys.

"We didn't have any plants or animals so I just transfigured and conjured certain animals. I learnt the hard way that baby Jean does not like my dragon form." Harry chuckled in memory.

"Why didn't you just repopulate the Earth with conjured animals?" She asked.

"They wouldn't have been real animals, they couldn't reproduce and they didn't have souls. Not like these animals." He waved a hand to indicate the gorillas they had moved on to.

"Harry! Harry! Come see! Come see!" Little Jean cried happily as she ran up and grabbed his hand dragging him towards the gorilla's. "Look! Like Hank!"

MJ desperately tried not laugh at the thought of Jean running up to Hank and telling him she saw him at the zoo. Whilst it was true that most of the non-human looking mutants had had their physical mutations repressed by Harry, they would still practice changing back and forth, this meant that even the hold outs like Ben and Santo were now allowing Harry to repress their mutations so they could learn how to do it themselves.

Fortunately Hank was one of the kindest souls she knew and she had no worries that once the shock wore off Hank would engage the current five year old in getting all the details of her exciting day from her.

"Harry, why do they keep moving away?" Jean asked in disappointment.

"Maybe they think I smell funny." Harry offered as he sniffed his armpit causing the little girl to giggle. "I'll go stand back, then they might come over again, ok?"

Jean responded by pushing him away and Harry just laughed.

"So what's the real reason for their reactions?" MJ asked.

"I'm Death, the Master of Magic and a dragon. I am a true apex predator and they know it and fear me." Harry shrugged.

"So you coming with us was a bad idea?"

"Nah, just means I can't get too close. I still get to enjoy watching Jean be happy and experience new things. This is very much a highlight of my time in this world." Have sighed happily. "Go on, have fun, I can watch from here." He said as he nudged MJ away towards Jean.

"Hey MJ."

MJ was startled as she heard her husband's voice behind her. "Pete? Why are you here? Where's Harry?"

"Petey!" Jean squealed as she came running up and jumped on him.

"Hey there Jeanie! Harry grabbed me and decided to drop me off here. Said trouble was coming and that I should trust him. I hate when he says things like that."

"Could you climb his neck?" Jean asked as she pointed to the tall giraffes.

"I think the better question is would he let me climb his neck." Peter corrected.

"We could ask him!"

"I don't think he would understand us, Jean." Peter laughed as he turned back to MJ with Jean still in his arms.

"Pete… I-I-I-" Peter watched as a red stain grew on the front of her light yellow summer blouse and she fell to her knees before collapsing to the ground.

"MJ! NO!" Peter quickly put Jean down and began pressing down on the hole in MJ's chest. "Call an ambulance!" He shouted at the people surrounding them. He was enraged when they began pulling out cell phones and started taking pictures instead of calling for help.

"P-P-Pete… trussssst Haaarrrry." MJ slurred.

"MJ, don't go!" Jean cried as she wrapped her arms around Mary Jane's neck.

"J-J-Jean's t-t-tears." MJ mumbled as she started to lose consciousness, but it was all Peter needed to get his intellect running.

"Jean, quickly, rub your tears into Mary Jane's chest." At the moment he was pouring his magic into Mary Jane and hoping it was doing what it was supposed to. Harry said magic was all about intent. His intent was focused on keeping his wife alive.

Jean was always a smart girl and Harry had told Mary Jane and Peter to be completely open and honest with her about what she was. So she understood that her tears were magic tears that could help Mary Jane.

"Please wake up MJ." She whispered as she leaned over the young woman that had raised her for the past few weeks.

Peter and Jean watched as the wound began to heal. "Jean, grab my arm and I'll take us to Harry, he can fix her up nice and right."

"I can't believe those fools were just standing there and taking photos!" Peter ranted as he paced back and forth in front of the infirmary bed where a whole and healthy MJ was relaxing. Jean was also tucked in next to her.

"I can." Harry shrugged. "I did tell them to do it after all."

Peter turned instantly. "You did what?!"

Harry just laughed. "Pete, didn't you wonder why your spider sense never went off? I knew the sniper would be there! The people around you were the other heroes in disguise, right now the scene of you and Jean helping Mary Jane is being uploaded and seen by millions of people. Trish has already called and asked me to come on the show tonight to discuss what happened."

"You knew?" Peter asked Mary Jane, half accusingly.

"She had no idea. I made this decision." Harry said seriously. "The only thing the heroes and students knew was that something was going to happen at the zoo but that they should let it happen."

Harry sighed, he knew Peter would not like this. He devoted his whole life to protecting others and keeping his loved ones out of it.

"Look Pete, you know I would never allow Mary Jane or anyone to be in any sort of permanent danger. The problem was that so long as this threat hung over them, as known family of Spiderman, they were in danger.

"What happened today was a controlled exercise that we can use to put things back the way they are supposed to be.

"I know you are pissed at me, and that's fine. My goal is achieved and you can now relax and be happy by keeping your identity as Spiderman a secret."

The problem was that as much as Peter wanted to be angry with Harry, he couldn't. Not only did Peter owe Harry so much, he knew that Harry would never have allowed Mary Jane to come into any real danger.

He was still pissed, he just didn't know where to direct it.

"Mind if I use the Danger Room?" He sighed.

"I'll do you one better, I'll let you fight me." Harry smirked.

"I wanted to beat something into submission! Not buy a one way ticket to the other side."

"No powers, I promise. Regular human strength too."

"This from the man with the ability to spin a lightsabre." Peter grumbled as he headed for the door, Harry on his tail.

"Hey, that took me millions of years to perfect!"

"Are Peter and Harry really going to fight?" Jean asked Mary Jane worriedly.

"They are going to play fight, Sweetie." She said giving her a squeeze.

"Can we play?"

"Maybe later. Do you want to go and see the triplets?"

"Yay! And Cessily, can we get her to make a slide again?" Having stumbled upon Cessily practising and attempting to change between her metallic and flesh state, Jean had seen the silvery girl and thought she was a fun slide. The rest is history.

Trish Tilby sat in her armchair whilst in several other chairs sat various people. The cameras were rolling and it was time to address the issues.

"Earlier today we reported that Mary Jane Parker, wife of Peter Parker the super hero known as Spiderman, was shot whilst visiting the local zoo. She was saved only by the quick reactions of her husband and the human Phoenix, Jean Grey-Summers.

"Needless to say this has caused the anti-SRA movement to rally and place the blame squarely on the shoulders of the government and the pro movement. With me today in the studio I have Tony Stark, the main proponent and enforcer of the Superhero Registration Act and Harry Potter who has been very outspoken against the act and known for aiding heroes who also oppose the act, also we have J. Jonah Jameson, the owner of the Daily Bugle and long time critic of the superhero Spiderman and Mrs May Parker, Spiderman's aunt.

"Mr. Stark, if we could start with you. Surely after today's events, the whole concept of registering the secret identities of heroes has been revealed as inherently flawed?"

Tony was in full charismatic leader mode today. He was pleasant but suitably saddened by the day's events. He still resented Potter but his time serving for his crimes against Banner and the Hulk had helped him to see other people's points of view and understand how they might perceive his actions. The one thing Reed and he hadn't changed their minds on was the necessity of the Superhuman Registration Act.

"Not at all, Trish." He responded easily. "Today showed us that with super heroes out in the open they are able to operate in plain clothes and not worry about having to hide their abilities."

Harry resisted a snort as Tony deftly sidestepped the actual question.

"How about the fact that it is your insistence that Peter reveal his identity that got Mary Jane targeted and shot?" Harry said dryly.

"I don't believe there is any conclusive proof that this is the case. Mrs Parker is quite famous in her own right after all." Tony countered. "We have no evidence that she was the target, she was shot soon after being seen standing with both yourself and her husband."

"And why would they shoot her because of that then?" Harry pushed. "No one else was shot. A single bullet was fired and hit a single target. There was no collateral damage and no additional shots or attempted targets. This was a message to Peter Parker."

Trish decided to wade back in. "Mr. Stark, are you suggesting that Mrs. Parker, a model and minor actress, was targeted by a very efficient sniper for reasons beyond revenge against her husband: Spiderman?"

"Stalkers have been known to attempt to kill the objects of their obsession if they discover they can no longer have them for themselves."

"And the fact that the 'Stalker' made absolutely no attempt to contact her or remove her friends or family from the picture doesn't suggest to you that you are making this up?" Harry asked in disgust.

"I'm sure it was just an anomaly."

"Mary Jane has never had a threat that was directly about herself, they were always related to my nephew." May spoke up. "I am very disappointed in you Tony, you are being stubborn for stubborn's sake!"

"Mr. Stark, are you suggesting that it is statistically more likely that Mrs. Parker was shot by a random lunatic then by one of Spiderman's many, many enemies or someone working for them?" Trish asked, she couldn't believe Tony actually thought his bullshit would fly.

Harry jumped back in before Tony could respond. "What about the thirteen other attempts made on Mary Jane and May Parker?"

Tony viciously fought the urge to scowl. How the hell had Potter known about them?

Harry just smirked. "You didn't think I wouldn't add protections for my close friends, did you?"

"Thirteen attempts?!" Trish asked in astonishment.

"This is why we should lock up psychos like Spiderman!" Jameson barged into the conversation. "They are nothing but a menace that-"

"What was the first major event that Spiderman was involved in, Mr. Jameson?" May Parker asked with a raised eyebrow. "Wasn't it saving your own son from dying in a space crash when his shuttle failed?"

"He caused that himself!"

"And where is your evidence? What was his motive?"

"Revenge, he had it in for me from the beginning."

"And the evidence?" Trish asked. "There was no investigation and no report. The military and NASA denied that Spiderman was responsible, as did your own son."

"A cover up."

"You are accusing the United States Government of a cover up?" Harry asked with a smirk. "Tony, as a representative of the US Government, do you have a response?"

"I have seen the reports as Stark Tech was involved in the manufacturing, and it was simply an accident. One that resulted in much better techniques."

"I would appreciate it if you did not make such unfounded accusations against my nephew and print a retraction regarding all your other baseless claims." May said imperiously.

"Absolutely not!"

"Then you will be hearing from my lawyers." May smirked. "It seems that there is some benefit to Peter being public with his identity, he now has legal standing to sue you for libel and slander."

"I'll be happy to fund that myself!" Tony smiled genuinely. Despite this whole political mess, Tony had learnt during his time under the Hulk's supervision that it was important to not let political views affect your friendships. Bruce had been quite insistent about that when rifts began to form between himself and Reed and Stephen over their culpability regarding the Hulk and Bruce.

Trish decided to try and get things back on track. "If we could, I would like to redirect the discussion back to the effects of today's events and the SRA, especially something Dr. Potter said about thirteen attempts to kill Spiderman and his family."

"Thirteen attempts in the time since Spiderman revealed himself to the world. And those are only the ones S.H.I.E.L.D knows about since they also posted personnel to prevent an incident." Harry confirmed.

"There were more?" Tony mentally kicked himself, he couldn't believe he had just asked that. The simple fact was that he was astounded by the number S.H.E.I.L.D had stopped, but Spiderman was just that good at what he did that he had so many enemies.

"There were six additional attempts that I personally took care of. They tended to involve large amounts of explosives, including one idiot who decided to use a mini-nuke." Harry said with a disgusted roll of his eyes.

"A NUKE!" Trish almost screamed, live TV be damned, Tony Stark would never live this down.

"What can I say? Spiderman is one of the true guardians of the city. If we were to lose him anarchy would reign." Harry said seriously. "And what's truly amazing is the fact that he has been doing this since he was a teenager with absolutely no help."

"What proof do you have?" Tony managed to ask. He really didn't want to believe a nuclear weapon was involved, it would undermine the entire SRA, S.H.I.E.L.D and his own reputation, not to mention his own belief.

"I have the nuke and other explosives. I also have video of myself and a team taking down the assassins and terrorists, and their subsequent confessions."

Tony was instantly on guard and leant forward. "You have a nuclear weapon in your possession?"

"Sure, what did you think I was going to do with it?" Harry grinned. "I found back in my home reality that nukes are great for dealing with things like asteroids and meteors that are heading for the planet."

"Having a nuke makes you a terrorist." Tony snarled.

"So… does that make the United States a terrorist state?" Harry countered.

"I-"

"Let's leave this subject for now as the device is perfectly safe and presents no danger to the people of Earth."

"But-"

"We are here at the request of Miss Tilby and her employers to discuss the Superhero Registration Act and it's viability in light of today's attack on the relative of a superhero you forced to reveal their identity."

Trish was aware that Harry had hi-jacked control of the show but she was still a little stunned to hear that New York had come close to being the victim of a nuclear attack, and all because of Tony Stark and his control issues.

"We can't ignore the fact that you just admitted you have a nuclear weapon!" Tony insisted.

"Well what exactly do you expect me to do about it?" Harry asked with a hint of snide.

"I demand you turn it over to myself as a representative of the United States."

Harry just stared at him.

Ten seconds later Trish was wondering if she was going to have to prod Harry.

But Harry leaned forward and spoke very carefully. "You want me to turn over a weapon of mass destruction to you? A man who has seriously endangered the lives of a single city already by his carelessness. To a government who clearly has no compunction about experimenting on its citizens or persecuting them?"

Harry sat back and shook his head sadly. "Go back to your bosses Tony. Tell them to sort themselves out and stop this insanity with the SRA or I will begin to actively take over the government."

"Did you just threaten the United States of America?" Tony growled.

"No you egotistical little fool!" Harry snapped. "I threatened you and your government! The people of this country have nothing to fear from me, unless they intend to hurt the innocent.

"Do you know what the real problem is with the SRA? It's the fact that it requires anyone with a power to register. That includes all mutants."

"Which is entirely reasonable." Tony argued. "They have these abilities and they need to be properly trained and monitored."

"Even the children who have no desire to do anything other than watch TV and go shopping with their friends?"

"Yes."

"Tell me, what about Prodigy? You know about him, he's a mutant with the ability to learn what others know, all their skills and he retains them. Should he be registered, he doesn't have an active ability like shooting lasers."

"He has a power so he should be registered." Tony stated.

"He was depowered in M-Day. He still remembers everything he just can't add new skills. Should he still be registered?"

"He has the knowledge so yes, he still benefits from that power."

Harry smiled. "Knowledge. So. By that logic, all college students should be registered. All children with the ability to learn quickly or a reasonably high IQ should be registered."

"That is not true. The Act-"

"Is open to wide interpretation. It makes no specific demands." Harry interrupted.

"Mr. Alleyn, Prodigy, has access to super human abilities, therefore he should be registered."

"What super human abilities?" Trish asked. "I mean, I know Harry has turned them all into magicals, but if he was just a depowered mutant, what then? He's just very smart. I can see where Harry is going with this, if you continue down the route you are taking then anyone who studied Karate or martial arts should be registered, from there you move onto anyone who can run one hundred metres in less than thirteen seconds. Where does it end?"

"With common sense." Tony said with a slight hint of sageness…. And a whole bunch of sarcasm.

"Common sense? Where was that when this all kicked off?" Harry laughed mirthlessly. "That whole massacre in Stamford. A group of superheroes tried to take in wanted criminals. Why were they suddenly penalised for that?"

"They caused the deaths of 600 people! Including 60 school children, that's why!"

"No they didn't." Harry said calmly. "I've seen the footage. I actually have that bastard Nitro in custody."

"Harry, language." Trish whispered.

"Sorry."

"Wait… what do you mean you have him in custody?" Tony demanded.

"Exactly that. I have him in a holding cell."

"You are harbouring a fugitive!"

"I, as a sovereign power, am holding a mass murderer prisoner on my soil. So unless you want to declare war I suggest you watch your next words very carefully." Harry warned.

"The United States of America demands you hand him over!"

"I would be more than happy to negotiate the extradition of the criminal known as Nitro. However, certain conditions must be met."

"Are you blackmailing the USA?"

"Trish, what did I just say?" He asked the presenter tiredly.

"That you wanted to negotiate. That you were willing to hand him over if certain conditions are met. What conditions though?" She asked.

Harry turned and smiled at Tony condescendingly. "You see Tony, that should have been your response. Asking me about my conditions, not accusing me of blackmail.

"In order to answer your intelligent and sensible question Trish." Harry winked at his friend. "I have several conditions that must be met.

"First, the Superhero, Speedball AKA Robert Baldwin of the New Warriors must be given a trial immediately. As in within seven days."

"Mr. Baldwin is being held as an unregistered combatant."

"The United States of America has not declared itself in a state of war and therefore doesn't have the right to hold him as such." Harry retorted. "Before you go on, Tony, I have extensive legal training.

"Second, the Superhuman Registration Act is to be abolished. It violates many of the founding principles of the United States of America and definitely those valued by the rest of the world.

"Third, the United States Government and yourself and all those involved will make a public apology to Lord Thor of Asgard for the theft of his DNA and the gross crimes perpetrated in his name by yourself.

"Fourth, the United States Government will pay compensation to all superhumans who were not convicted or charged with criminal acts beyond violating the SRA."

Harry stood up and began removing his microphone belt pack. "I apologise Trish, I can't stand to be in the same room as this man at the minute. Call me to arrange our next interview."

And with that Harry left a speechless Trish Tilby and Tony Stark.

It was a good thirty seconds before Trish and the crew managed to scrape their jaws off the floor and end the segment.

"So Emma, care to perform a little mischief?" Harry asked as Logan followed him into her office.

Emma sighed and put down the papers she was grading. "Aren't you a little old for mischief, Harry?"

"That's like saying I'm too old to date Laura and the Trips. I'm fifteen million years old, technically I'm too old to date anyone!" Harry grinned as he flopped into a chair. "So, you in?"

"Define 'mischief'."

"Eradicating the threat of nuclear war."

Emma just looked at Logan.

"He told me mischief." Logon said holding up his hands. "No way I was gonna turn down an offer of that from him."

"And the panic it will cause when nations discover their nuclear arsenals are gone?"

Harry leaned forward excitedly. "That's the beauty of it! No one will know unless they fire the missiles! Only the three of us will know… well, possibly Jean and the girls but it will just be a rumour or legend."

Emma eyed him carefully. "You did this before, back in your world, didn't you."

Harry just grinned.

Millions of years ago, Harry's home universe…

It was nearly one hundred years to the day since the anniversary of the start of World War II. August 31st 2039. Since the end of the Second World War there had been numerous smaller wars and even large conflicts. But none that would have seen the entire world thrown in to chaos and turmoil.

North Korea had decided to take South Korea by force. They had stormed across the border killing indiscriminately. This had sparked a domino effect as Russia moved west and China bulldozed through Japan.

And then the west panicked.

The American President was caught by a sleeper agent and killed on live TV. The Vice-President was a weak willed man who considered himself a patriot but was actually a racist bigot. He pushed the button unleashing America's first wave of nuclear missiles.

Where were the missiles heading?

Anywhere that wasn't the American continent.

"I assume you have this situation well in hand, Harry?" Daphne asked calmly as her six-month pregnant sister wife, Hermione sat beside her chewing her nails as the dour newsreader announced that they had mere hours to live and that they shouldn't panic.

"Of course! Sad thing is that today means I am about to be very busy for the rest of our lives."

"And the outbreak of nuclear was of course, the cue to lay back and relax." Daphne said sarcastically.

A twenty-year-old girl with ebony hair and gray eyes teleporting in suddenly interrupted them.

"Dad?" She asked with narrowed eyes, it was the kind of look that said 'am I going to have to speak to your teacher?'

"Yes my beautiful Luna. I have it all sorted. Neville and I will be there just before the bombs land to make our big… splash."

"Good. As long as it's sorted."

"Explain! Now!" Hermione snapped. The stress was really getting to her, it didn't help that she was pregnant at the moment.

"Daddy promised me that if the world ever fell to nuclear or apocalyptic disasters then he would sort it all out and make sure it never happened again."

"In my defence, she was only four at the time and America was about to take another run at Iran." Harry explained.

"What did you do?" Daphne asked suspiciously.

"I might have… I dunno… replaced all the nuclear material in the warheads with blue jelly." He said with a cheeky grin.

"How?" Hermione asked in disbelief.

"Lot's of veritiserum and kidnapping and obliviates."

Daphne just shook her head. That was the problem with Harry. He tended to only listen to the laws he liked. If he saw a problem he would do everything he could to fix it, even if it would piss someone off.

"Wait, what about the explosives and impact?" The pregnant mother asked.

"I put a charm on the missiles, they will explode at around 200 feet above the ground. There will be no shrapnel and no fires… just a lot of blue rain."

"What about the invading armies?" Luna asked.

"Neville, your grandfather and I will be pulling their teeth over the next few days."

"Just the three of you? Why not ask Bill for help?" Hermione asked.

Having finally revealed Camelot to his friends and family, Sal had taken them all to the castle for a tour along with the King of England and his family. They had all been shocked when the great city-like castle rang like a huge bell and every portrait and suit of armour bowed to Bill Weasley declaring him the lost son of King Arthur.

Sal had spent two weeks accusing Harry of knowing all along. Harry was actually as gobsmacked as the rest of them. Xander found the whole thing hilarious as it seemed fate was displaying it's sense of humour again.

"Because those three can do it without putting civilians in danger and if King Weasley gets involved Britain will be considered the invaders instead of this just being Harry's work. But you might want to stay away from Fleur and Nym for a few months." Daphne warned.

Present Day, Present Universe…

"Blue jelly?" Emma remarked blandly.

"I thought it would be funny." Harry smiled.

"And the panic? The mayhem that occurred over the hours before and after the missile launches?"

"Unfortunately that was necessary. It's the same as when we were waiting for MJ or May to get shot. It needed to happen to drive the point home. With the High King of the British Empire backing me, I was quickly appointed the global peacekeeper. Neville got to be king of the world." He said with glee.

"I thought you were king." Logan commented, speaking for the first time.

"We took turns. Do you know how boring it is to run a world? All that paperwork!" He said with a hint of horror.

"So I assume you want me to read the locations of the missiles for you from various officials so you and Logan can sneak in and do the same thing here?"

"We thought you might like to join us with the actual implementation as well. The chance to prevent another Genosha or Horishima."

Emma didn't need long to think about it. "I'm in. But what happens when we are discovered, or if someone fires one of them?"

"That happens and I keep my promise to my first daughter Luna and take control of the world myself."

Emma should have known this wasn't going to be easy. After one week they had managed to disarm only ten percent of America's nuclear arsenal. They had started, to Emma's horror, with the President himself. They entered the White House invisibly and Emma would start reading his mind. She would tell Harry the locations the President knew before reading the names of other individuals who had access to that type of knowledge in case the President was unaware of a few.

Once they had the location they began infiltration of the silos, Harry did the charms and transfigurations whilst teaching Emma and Logan. A specially layered notice-me-not charm kept the technicians and computers from realising anything was wrong.

It seemed as though it was going to be a few years before they could finish the whole world though.

"So, Charles, what brings you back to the school?" Harry asked as walked the grounds with Professor Xavier.

"Three reasons, I suppose. First I was curious about how well the school was coping in the light of M-Day. Second, I wanted to make use of Cerebro to investigate the effects of M-Day on the world and see if there have been any knew mutant births. And lastly… to meet you." He smiled.

"Cool. Any progress?"

"Well… the last one is currently underway." He smirked. "The school seems to be thriving and Hank has been assisting me with Cerebro. No new mutants though and that is truly worrying."

"Not really, patience is needed. It hasn't even been nine months yet. It's highly likely that all mutants in the womb were also de-powered. That means that we need to wait for new mutants to be conceived."

Charles nodded. It was a valid hypothesis. "What confuses me is why there were some mutants not de-powered."

"Wanda didn't have that kind of authority." Harry said firmly. "She had the power and the strength but the eradication of a whole subspecies was not her decision to make."

"A higher being intervened?"

"In a sense." Harry allowed. "Reality, time, magic… even myself, we all have the right to make that type of decision, we are, as Odin recently explained it to me, aspects of existence. But even then, we must all be in harmony and agreement to make such a huge decision."

Charles didn't respond, his brow furrowed in thought as they walked.

Harry smiled softly. "You have doubts about my claims of being Death."

Charles sighed. "It is a rather… outrageous claim."

"Yet the wonderful thing is that it doesn't matter if you believe me." Harry shrugged. "I don't need people to believe me for me to be Death. I am quite capable of being Death without anyone else's help."

Charles had to laugh at the mockingly proud way Harry said that.

"At the moment I am not all that important. Most of my work is done in the background. All you need to know is that I don't mean any harm to innocent people."

"Ah, but just what is your definition of 'innocent'?"

"Standard dictionary definition will do. If I see someone hurting someone else I will put a stop to it. How badly they are hurting them and their motivations will determine just how hard I stop them.

"Just focus on the remaining mutants. Any day now we should begin to see more mutant births."

"Dammit Harry! Just take me to a remote island! We can screw like bunnies and no one can complain."

After several weeks Jean Grey had finally hit sixteen. As Harry had predicted she was horny as hell.

"I thought you were joking." MJ said, she was slightly horrified considering a few weeks earlier she had been changing the girl's nappies.

"Nope. Although this time round she is a bit of a late bloomer."

"Is that a crack about my breasts?" Jean glared angrily.

"Don't pull that crap on me, Jeanie. You want to get laid then fine, we'll head off and spend some time away. Remember I have several girlfriends thanks to you."

"Hey, I only recruited three. You got the others all on your own. And where the hell did you get an Aesir for a wife?"

"I refuse to try and explain it without copious amounts of alcohol. So… we'll discuss it later."

"Is that really fair to your younger soul mates?" MJ asked carefully.

"What do you mean?" Jean huffed impatiently.

"I know for a fact that Laura keeps jumping Harry and the triplets can feel it every time Harry sleeps with Lorna or Dani, hell even Amara can feel it. But if you will sleep with sixteen year old Jean but not the others who are about the same age… I don't think they will appreciate it."

"Yes, but they haven't got a thousand years experience." Harry pointed out.

"Neither did Jean till five days ago, but the thing is, they won't get that experience unless you give it to them."

Harry had to agree that it wasn't fair to the girls.

"I'll talk to Emma and Logan and head off to Gretna Green to get married." Harry agreed. "Come on, we need to talk to them all."

"But I want sex!" Jean whined.

*Chapter 18*: Chapter 18  
Chapter 18

Harry and his soul mates were pissed when what had started as introducing the younger girls to the joys of sex that turned into a three day orgy (even Amara joined in after being unable to resist the urges through the bond) was finally interrupted by Jean and the Cuckoos being incapacitated.

Everyone was shocked when the Cuckoos and Jean began screaming in pain… and not pleasure. Blood poured from their faces and ears as Harry waved a hand dressing them and transported them down to the infirmary where he found Hank tending to every other telepath in the building as the non-telepaths brought them in.

"Harry! Thank god! We have no idea what caused this." Hank said.

"Me neither. The screaming and pain seems to have stopped so hopefully we can get some answers." Harry stood in the middle of the infirmary and sent out a wave of healing power.

Harry was about to ask for answers when Mary Jane appeared in ball of pain on the floor in front of him.

"Harry… help." She cried through her gritted teeth.

Harry knelt down and began scanning her; the problem was quickly obvious to him.

"Easy MJ, I've got this." He soothed before he knocked her out with a stunner and placed a glowing hand on her stomach. "Hank, we need some privacy for Mary Jane."

Hank simply took MJ to a nearby cubicle whilst sending out a message to Peter about what happened.

"Does anyone know what knocked out all the telepaths?" Harry asked the room at large.

"I believe I know the answer, but it would be best if we spoke in private." Xavier spoke up from where he was wiping blood from his face.

"There are no secrets here Charles." Harry said.

"There are always secrets, we just have to make the decision when to share them. I believe this particular secret should be decided on after we discuss it." Charles countered.

Harry just shrugged. "Ok, Emma, your office?"

"So the first new mutant birth." Harry smiled happily. "See, I told you. You just needed patience."

"You were right, of course, and I am truly happy. But we must see to the safety of the child, other factions will be aiming to acquire the child for their own purposes." Charles agreed.

"True. Scott, take your team and get the whole family. Has anyone been to…"

"Cooperstown, Alaska." Charles supplied.

There was a round shaking heads.

"Then you'll have to fly by jet… sorry Logan."

"We'll call when we get there and send the family straight here." Scott assured them as they filed out.

Harry clapped his hands. "Right, next up, informing the students."

"Is it really wise to bring the children into this?" Charles questioned.

"Take it from someone who was a child during a war and served as a Headmaster during many conflicts. Yes. They will trust us much more if we tell them, it pays off in the long run when we can't tell them something and we need them to trust us.

"Then we tell the rest of the world, they will cry bloody murder if anyone tries to harm an innocent baby!"

"Ok everyone, huge announcement. There has finally been a mutant birth. The X-Men are en route to pick up the baby and the family. When the news breaks it is going to cause a huge amount of reactions from various groups and you need to be aware of this.

"No one is to leave the school in less than groups of three. Break this rule and I will lock you down for a month.

"Other than that, life goes on.

"Questions?"

Cessily stood up. "How do you know it is a baby? I thought Cerebro could only detect when mutant powers awaken and that happens at puberty."

"It used to, but I do have knowledge of technology, more importantly, I have the knowledge of how to view and detect magic with technology. I thought Cerebro was pretty important, especially after you were kidnapped so I worked with Hank to upgrade it.

"But… it turns out this baby did manifest it's powers at birth."

"Do you know who else is after the baby?" Mindee asked.

"No, but I'm just going to assume: everyone."

"Will any of the New X-Men get to go on the mission?" Julian enquired.

"As of this moment: No. But the situation is very fluid. In most conflicts there is usually more than one front to fight on. That could quickly become the case here so be ready. For the time being the mansion and its students are the responsibility of the New X-Men… expect trouble."

The scene in Cooperstown was a holocaust. Men, women and children had been killed indiscriminately. There were dead bodies everywhere.

Harry was quickly called in.

"Good god this is disgusting." Harry declared before he closed his eyes and began focusing his power.

All around them the fires began to die out. Buildings were fixed. Broken bodies were healed even if they were dead.

"Can you save them?" Emma asked hopefully.

"No, most of them have moved on. There were a few that I pulled back but the rest are gone." He said sadly. "You continue your search. I'll arrange for the New X-Men to come and handle things here. Clearly I need to interview with Trish again."

What the X-Men discovered was disgusting. Emma probed the minds of the residents for information and it sickened her.

"The Purifiers came with intent to kill all the children just to find and kill the mutant baby. Then Mister Sinister's Marauders came in and a free-for-all broke out whilst both parties laid waste to the area and the people whilst trying to find the mutant baby." Emma reported.

"Damn, I guess Stryker's influence was further reaching than I thought." Harry cursed.

"At approximately 10:20pm last night, local residents were rocked by a series of explosions that some believed to be earthquakes. But as they fled their homes they realized it was much worse.

"They had come under fire by a private army, the likes of which most governments militias rarely encounter.

"Their mysterious goals in Cooperstown?

"The cold-blooded murder of nearly every child in town. An almost biblical punishment… why? I have with me here, Doctor Harry Potter who arrived on the scene soon after the battle and rendered aid were he could.

"Doctor, why would someone do this?"

"Well Trish, the important thing to remember is that this… carnage, was all over one single new-born baby. The private army is actually the group known as The Purifiers. They are the people recruited by William Stryker to eradicate mutant kind.

"This is how they went about trying to kill a mutant baby. They systematically murdered every child of every age in the hopes that they found the right one. This is what hate brings you.

"However, for unknown reasons a second group was known to be involved. They arrived soon after the Purifiers and engaged them before attempting to find the baby themselves. This was a known group of mutant terrorists. I will say that they did not engage the civilians."

"Is there any word on the identity or location of the baby?" Trish asked.

"At this time we are tracking the baby, we do not know the name as all records were destroyed."

"But you know the baby is alive."

"Yes, we do." It was clear Harry wasn't going to elaborate. He didn't feel right telling them they knew this because they found two new born baby cribs and one was empty but the charred remains were found in the other.

"What can you tell us about the survivors?"

Harry sighed. "By the time we arrived, most of the souls of the dead children had moved on. Any soul that stayed behind, I was able to heal the body and restore them. But there are a lot of dead children today because of hate."

"What are you doing now to find the murderers?"

"I can't go into details for reasons of operational security, but rest assured, there are teams in the field doing what they need to. Meanwhile, the New X-Men are working on helping the townspeople here." He said indicating behind him where Julian could be seen with Laura helping an elderly couple sit in chairs they conjured.

Whilst the New X-Men focused on Cooperstown, Cyclops had Jamie Madrox brought in for a special assignment. He sent him to Forge to make use of his time travel technology so he could send a dupe to try and gain intel from the future. For some reason Layla decided to tag along.

Two Dupes would be sent to different futures, the first went through without a problem. But Layla caused problems with the second.

Jamie Madrox and Forge watched in horror as Layla rushed into the energy stream as she and the dupe vanished.

"BRING HER BACK!" Jamie yelled grabbing Forge by the shirt.

"I can't! It was a one-way trip. She wasn't meant to do that."

"How the hell were my dupes meant to return?" Jamie demanded.

"They would kill themselves when they had the information they needed."

"Oh god!" Jamie groaned as the realisation hit him that they might have just lost Layla.

"There might be a way." Forge said cautiously.

Jamie snapped around. "What?"

"The kid, Potter. If he's as powerful as he's supposed to be then he might be able to get her back."

"Call- ARRRRHHHHGGGG!" Jamie screamed as his eyes rolled into the back of his head and he collapsed.

"What the hell possessed you to play with time travel?" Harry demanded angrily.

"We've done it before." Forge said defensively.

"Just because you can do it doesn't mean you should do it!"

"Whatever." Forge said dismissively. "Is there anything you can use to bring the girl back?"

"Possibly." Harry said without hesitation. "But I wouldn't know where to begin. I have never played with time before. I know magic can do it but… I've always considered it… outside my jurisdiction.

"I'm essentially going to be teleporting through space and time. I have never done this before myself. I also don't think I can do this on my own… at least I definitely can't go without my girls, I don't know what will happen to the soul bonds if I do."

Harry concentrated and called for his soul mates to join him.

"Hi girls. We have a special mission, probably dangerous and I don't know anything about it other than we are going into the future to find Layler Miller and bring her back here."

"Whilst you're there, try and figure out what happened to Madrox." Forge ordered.

"Alright my beauties, everyone grab a hold of me."

The sun was setting on the horizon, reaching slowly down to the ocean. On the beach a confrontation took place that was a stark contrast to the beauty of nature's gentle sunset.

Layla Miller lay in a crumpled heap in front of Scott Summers. An aged and no longer fully human Scott Summers. He didn't wear glasses or a visor, but the red destructive power could be seen glowing in his uncovered eyes. His left arm and lower leg had been replaced by monstrous robotic appendages that didn't even attempt to appear human.

"Look at me! Look what they've done to me! Look what I've become!" Scott raged as Layla just sat there.

"What, like I got off lightly?

"I knew what they were going to do to me before I set foot in Forge's time machine, Cyclops! I'd wake up screaming, shaking in my bed, knowing what was to come!"

She pulled off her blonde wig revealing her brutally shaven head and the tattooed 'M' over her right eye.

"They turned me into a piece of meat, Scott! Shaved me, labelled me, dehumanized me!

"You think if I had the power to make things not happen, I wouldn't have used it to save myself?"

Tears began to stream down her face as the usually implacable Layla Miller broke down as she realised her nightmares had come true. It wasn't what she knew would happen that scared her; it was what she didn't know would happen. She was now like everyone else on the planet. In the dark and unaware of what the future held for the most part.

"YOU THINK I WANTED THIS?!" She screamed at him.

"Oh my god, I just want to go home! I want this never to have happened!

"You want to kill me? DO IT!"

Scott just stood there as Layla began pounding on his chest as the myriad of emotions tore through her.

As she screamed and begged him to kill her he knelt down, the whirring of his mechanical limbs the only other sound as he gently hugged and comforted her.

"Dammit Layla, do you know how worried Jamie is?"

Scott and Layla tensed at the new male voice before Ruby, Scott's red skinned daughter unleashed crimson beams from her eyes knocking the owner of the voice back into the other women standing behind him.

"What are you doing here Harry?" Layla demanded angrily.

"Errgh, that was not nice." Harry groaned as he disentangled himself from Amara and Dani.

"Who is he?" Scott demanded.

"It's Harry, you know… Harry Potter? Claims to be Death and the Master of Magic. Had all these notions and plans of bringing equality to mutants." Layla said snidely.

"Doesn't seem to have followed through very well." Ruby remarked.

"So what happened, Harry? Not as powerful as you think or are you just revealing your true colours?" Layla asked mockingly.

"Didn't you pay attention to what Forge was telling Jamie before you decided to go for a kamikaze mission into the future?" Lorna snapped back. "He was sending both Jamies into possible futures. Clearly, in this future Harry didn't come to save it."

"Why don't I know anything about him then? He isn't in any of the stuff I know."

"If you tell me how you know that 'stuff' I might be able to answer your question." Harry said.

Layla just folded her arms stubbornly.

"She told herself." Mindee said suddenly.

"She survives this journey into the future." Celeste continued.

"When she returns to our time she tells her younger self all she knows." Phoebe said.

Then they spoke as one. "And the cycle repeats."

"STOP READING MY MIND!" Layla screamed angrily.

The Cuckoos were unrepentant.

"The answer to your question is very simple." Harry smiled as he conjured chair shocking Ruby and Scott. "This is the beginning of a new cycle. The initial iteration."

"So every time she goes through this cycle now, you will be involved?" Dani asked as his girls joined him in the chairs.

"Yep. But if she's smart she will use her knowledge to improve things." Harry said.

"If she does that she will keep changing the future and she won't be able to predict things." Ruby argued.

"How much easier would it have been if she had told the X-Men in the past what she knew, or if she had come through the time machine with knowledge of where supplies were? How about if she had created a stash of supplies like time capsule."

"If I did that I might change things so I can't return home." Layla countered.

"Well, if you're next incarnation is stupid enough to do this again then at least warn them that I can bring them home."

"I need to stay here for a few years."

"Why?"

The Three-In-One suddenly piped up. "Mrs. Layla Madrox." They said with a dreamy tone.

"Really? That's the only reason?" Harry asked with a sigh. "You could just go back and wait till you are older then."

"If I wait here then we will be the right age for each other when I go back."

"What are you, fourteen, fifteen?" Harry asked.

"Nearly fifteen."

"In just over a year you will be heading into the age of consent and can start a relationship with Jamie, come back with us and we will see about chaperoning you and making sure no one objects."

It was clear Layla was tempted. She had just spent a good minute crying her eyes out over what had happened to her.

"What about my mission here?"

"What is your mission?" Lorna asked.

"To bring about the rebellion and freedom for mutants." Celeste answered.

"And to grow up so she can be with Jamie." Phoebe finished.

"I have nothing to add." Mindee pouted causing the other soul mates to laugh.

"Alright, first things first." Harry said as he stood up and walked over to a still standing Scott. "Let's put you back together, shall we?"

"Wait, what do you mean?" Scott asked as he began backing away.

"You telling me you want to be a cyborg?" Harry asked. "Because it didn't sound like it earlier."

"Of course I don't."

"Then just relax, this will only take a few seconds to minutes."

But Scott backed away a step further. "What are you going to do?"

"I was going to re-grow your limbs for you… you keep treating me like I have cooties and I might change my mind."

"You're serious aren't you?"

"Scott, you remember us, don't you?" Amara asked.

"Of course. He's the only one I don't recognise." Scott pointed a slightly accusing finger at Harry.

"Let him help you. It will definitely be worth it."

Scott scowled but held his ground and gave Harry a nod.

Harry placed a hand on Scott's shoulder immobilizing him. There was the sound of several clanks as his robotic arm and leg fell away from his body leaving him standing on one leg with only Harry keeping him upright.

What happened next shocked and amazed Scott and his daughter as his limbs began to re-grow. Once Scott was standing on his own two flesh feet Harry caused the other implants to fall out or disintegrate before he rebuilt the original organs.

Finally he began pumping magic into him and working his cells to rejuvenate, a method he had learnt many thousands of years after Hermione and Daphne had passed on. It negated the need for the Elixir of Life potion that required the Philosopher's Stone.

Within the space of a minute the elderly cyborg was replaced with a young man in his early thirties.

Scott just stood there staring at his new limbs.

"Told you." Amara declared happily.

"Focus on that feeling of power flowing into you. Try and make it create a light in your hand. Dani, teach him for me." Harry said before heading over to a speechless Ruby.

"Just like your mother. A precious gem." Harry said with a fond smile.

"You knew my mother?" She asked in surprise.

"Erm… sort of. I knew a version of your mother from a timeline. This particular future doesn't line up with the past we are from."

"How will you get back then?"

"Easy, I will just focus on the version of your mother I know. Should take me straight to her."

"Could you de-age me like you did Dad?"

"Yes, but I don't really see the need to." Harry shrugged.

"If I revert back to my human form I might age seventy years."

Harry just laughed. "Doesn't work like that. Every time you switch back and forth it refreshes your cells. As long as you switch back and forth regularly, like once a day to once a week, you will likely never get old."

"Are you sure?" She asked eagerly.

"Take it from someone who can read souls and cells and power. I watched it happen with your mother and Amara."

For the first time in decades, Ruby Summers relaxed her powers and triggered the change.

"Definitely Emma Frost's daughter." Harry smiled as he took in the sight of the white blonde haired young woman who could definitely pass as the triplet's older sister. "Excuse my hands, but you need an upgrade." Harry said as he placed a hand on Ruby's pale white chest.

"Hey!"

"Relax, I'm just giving you the power to do magic. You'll love it."

"What is it with you and the Fidelius?" Lorna laughed as Harry outlined his plan for helping this timeline.

"It's so useful for what I wind up doing, strangely enough I'm also the only one who can modify it. Anyone can copy my modifications but no one can add to them. Drove Hermione nuts." He smiled.

"Can you place the charm on a single moveable object?" Celeste asked.

"You mean like a car?"

"A book." She corrected.

"Definitely. Used to use it on documentation of dangerous spells and state secrets."

"I thought you didn't keep secrets from your people?" Dani asked.

"No, I didn't lie to them. Or make promises I couldn't keep."

"We will work with Layla to create a book she can give to herself when she goes back to the past." Celeste indicated herself and her sisters.

"Good plan. Include references to me and suggestions on how to best make changes."

"So you are just going to set up this Fidelius and leave us to fend for ourselves again?" An annoyed Ruby asked.

"Of course not. We'll stay for a few years, I need to make other people into magicals after all!"

Layla Miller had not been idle when she first arrived in the future, she had travelled with a relative stranger to Atlantic City. She had used the opportunity to plant the seeds of mistrust of the Government in the citizens of this dystopian future.

The technological advances of the timeline meant that every citizen had an implant in their skull that connected them to the equivalent of the web they called the 'Ethernet'.

Fear began to spread amongst the populous but the idea inspired the government culminating in a boiling point.

A well-known government figure addressed his countrymen as he appeared on televisions and billboards around the country. In Time Square the people stopped to listen, fear making them wary.

"My fellow Americans… we at the Department of Internal Protection are aware of your fears. We are unsure of how word of Operation Purity became public before we were prepared to discuss it with you… but since it has, we wish to make it clear that it is not the doomsday scenario that so many on the Ethernet are making it out to be.

"Simply because the mutant menace has been contained, that does not mean it can be discounted. We must look to the next level of safety for our citizenry because, I can assure you… we are not going to let mutants win.

"We must make difficult decisions. The sorts of decisions you have entrusted your elected officials to make.

"Testing centres are being set up even as we speak. All citizens will be required to report for genetic testing… immediately."

Gasps ran through the crowd. All their fears had come to pass.

"And for those who believe that they are exempt from the law… incentive will be provided."

Screams erupted and panic set in as two looming Sentinels appeared either side of the vid screens in Time Square. Many people began to try and flee causing a stampede, some tried to instigate rebellion against the government.

The rest of the speech was mostly drowned out.

"Understand that these steps are being taken, not out of hostility, but out of love for all of you. Do not let cruel, hostile words from agitators frighten you.

"War is Peace. Acceptance is hatred."

The image fizzled out and the head of one of the Sentinels exploded as it was struck by a powerful beam of red energy.

A new voice spoke out over the speakers.

"And up is down! And down is where you are going!"

The image of a red skinned woman appeared on the screen as a blast of blue plasma took out the second Sentinel.

"Ladies and gentlemen! I am Ruby Summers! I'm a mutant! Most of you are not!

"But today we stand together and say 'ENOUGH'!

"Enough of our rights being trampled!

"Enough of imprisonment for the sake of freedom!

"Enough of sin in the name of redemption!

"Today… WE REBEL!"

And thus began the Summers Rebellion. As Ruby and the young non-mutant who had driven Layla to Atlantic City defended the crowd from the Sentinels, the people of America saw that mutants weren't against them. Later they would discover that mutants had the same considerations for non-mutants as they did for them.

They didn't.

They were like every other creature on the planet. They cared primarily for themselves. They made friends, had families enjoyed sports, food and drink. Occasionally there would be a mutant who wanted to harm. But they would be taught that those few individuals were outnumbered by the non-mutants who thought the same way.

The day the Summer's Rebellion began Atlantic City vanished. It was removed from all maps, records and minds.

Harry had cast his largest Fidelius to date… he hid an entire city.

He didn't stop at the borders though. Once a month he extended the area covered by a minimum of one hundred miles.

Meanwhile his girls worked to close the mutant internment camps and bring the mutants to Atlantic city. Scott was installed as the Governor at Harry's insistence and he and his girls worked on making sure the peace was kept.

Three years after they arrived in the future their mission was capable of sustaining itself and Harry declared it was time they got back to their own world.

His final act had been to erect inverted Fidelius charms around the major cities that were part of the mutant oppression. Anyone trapped in the city couldn't leave but people entering the city could enter and exit.

Only Ruby was given the ability and knowledge to bring down the charms. When she was satisfied that the people in the cities posed no threat she would reunite the world.

It was a tearful group that gathered to say goodbye to Layla, Harry and the girls.

"I can't believe I'm never going to see you guys again!" Ruby cried from the middle of a group hug with the girls.

Tears were flowing down the cheeks of anything with two X chromosomes.

"You sure you won't be able to make it back?" Scott asked Harry quietly.

"I honestly don't know. 'Hilde says I should be able to go where I want, but I will need to practice. I'm just hoping I can get everyone back to where they need to be. So… I guess you can hope we see each other again… but don't hold your breath."

Harry stepped forward from where he was standing with Scott. "Come on girls. We do still have some issues to deal with… back home."

Reluctantly the girls separated and moved to grab a handful of Harry.

"I'll do my best to come back." Harry promised before they vanished into time and space.

"Harry, are we in the right time?" Dani asked nervously.

Harry had teleported them straight to the mansion. But it was in ruins. There was barely anything left except rubble.

"Yes, I can sense the Fidelius charm on the underground complex, but there aren't any souls left in the building or below." He frowned. "Fawkes!" He called.

There was a flash of fire and the red and gold bird materialised before them.

Fawkes began squawking agitatedly and the triplets gasped as Harry sighed.

"We came back several days too late." Phoebe translated.

"Several people are dead from our side." Celeste continued.

"The X-Men are trying to retrieve the baby from Sinister." Mindee finished.

"But what about the children? Where are they?" Dani asked.

Fawkes began squawking again.

"On the Hulk's planet." The girls announced.

"Whoever came up with that idea gets a gold star." Harry said with an approving nod. "Right, so it sounds like we need to go find Scott. Everybody phase out and go invisible before we teleport. Chances are we are jumping into a battle."

Harry and the girls teleported into a scene of mass carnage as more than a third of the remaining mutants on the planet were engaged in mortal combat.

Harry instantly transformed into his dragon form.

"CEASE YOUR FIGHTING!" He roared.

Even the dumbest or most focused fighter will pause at the sight of a towering dragon. Especially one that has liquid fire dripping from its large fanged mouth with wings flared so wide it blocked out most of the light.

Unfortunately, the X-Men's opponents eventually overcame their shock and began attacking Harry.

Harry just stood there as everything from raw energy to fists impacted his thick dragon hide. Often his hide was pierced and occasionally his internal organs would slip out.

But Harry just stood there.

The reason why soon became apparent as their numbers were picked off from behind by the X-Men, who were largely ignored.

It soon became apparent to the last few standing Marauders that they weren't having any effect on the Dragon who just stood there watching them hack away at him.

"Are you finished?" The dragon asked.

A few of the remaining conscious Marauders took the opportunity to teleport out whilst the others cursed their comrades for abandoning them. The New X-Men sent a barrage of stunners at them.

"Harry! You have to help HG!" Cessily begged as she came running up.

"HG?"

"My dog, the other Predator X turned up and HG and X-Force are fighting it!"

"Your dog?" Laura asked. "That little silver puppy is fighting Predator X?"

Cessily looked at the dark haired young woman. "Who are- Laura?! What happened to you?" Cessily demanded as she realised whom the young woman in her early twenties was.

"I grew up!" Laura grinned cheekily.

"We all did, but maybe we should focus on Predator X." Celeste pointed out.

"Right, I'll just go-" Harry didn't bother finishing he sentence as he teleported out.

"Layla, what possessed you to follow Jamie into the future?" Scott demanded.

"I thought I was supposed to." She shrugged. "Still need to go back in time to deliver my packages to… myself." She pointed out to Lorna.

"I believe the All-Father will grant me leave to handle this mission for you, young Layla." Brunhilde offered as she took the book from Layla's arms.

"But I'm sup-"

"-supposed to remember that doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result is madness." Laura frowned. "Go on Hilde, we'll let Harry know where you went."

"I shall return forth with." She declared before heading off.

"Where's my little Welshling?" Harry asked as he suddenly reappeared with two silver puppies playing at his feet and Illyana at his side.

"Here Professor." Megan said as she flew over.

"Here, I don't know why, but I feel you should have HG's brother." He said as he picked up one of the puppies and handed it over.

The squeal of happiness caused shrieks of pain from Beast, Laura and Wolverine and the other mutants with super senses.

"God, Pixie, any chance you're related to Syren or Banshee?" Laura groaned.

"When did you develop a sense of humour?" Cessily asked Laura with a wry smirk.

"About three years ago." Phoebe answered.

"It took a lot of work." Celeste sighed.

"But we got to watch lots of Abbot and Costello." Mindee grinned.

"Who's on first!" Laura laughed with the others.

"What?" Cessily queried.

"No, he's on second." Scott responded with a smile.

"O-ho! A fellow fan." Harry laughed. "I can see what we'll be doing this weekend."

"Not a Stooges fan?" Logan asked as he and the rest of X-Force walked up.

"They have their moments, but we prefer the verbal quippage, as my dad put it."

"How did that little thing take on the big Predator X you showed us?" Dani asked.

"I put a similar charm on it as I did on Cessily. If it or she is in danger it transforms into it's old form, it just keeps its current personality." Harry explained.

"What are we going to do about the baby?" Rogue asked where she had a firm grip on white haired man with a metal arm. Gambit was cooing over the tyke in question.

"That is one cute little girl." Harry smiled as he took the baby from Gambit who pouted playfully. "Does anyone know her name?"

"Hope."

Everyone looked to the twenty year old Layla Miller.

"Is this part of the stuff you know?" Scott asked.

"No… it just seems fitting."

"Sounds good to me."

"I need to take her from here. She's not safe here." The white haired man growled.

"Harry, this is my son, Nathan AKA Cable." Scott said with a tired yet proud smile.

"You can let him up Rogue." Harry told the stripe haired woman before turning to address Cable, her captive. "She'll always be in danger. If she were to die then the next new baby mutant would be in danger… hiding her away won't make the world safer for them, we have to confront the issue and make the world change."

"At least I can take her away so she can grow up and face the world with experience." Cable argued.

"But what about the next baby?" Lorna asked.

"I'll bring her back as soon as she is old enough, she will always be the 'chosen one', but at least I can train her away from the fight first. Give her the chance to face this mess with some age and wisdom at her back."

"And you think you can do this all on your own?" Amara asked.

"It will be safer this way."

"We will take her to her Aunty Ruby." Celeste stated.

"I can't believe I'm going to actually say this… but… we're going back to the future?" Harry asked causing most of them to groan.

"She can learn how to change the world in safety from those who are actually doing so." Phoebe added.

Everyone turned to Mindee, expecting her to add something as was the habit of the Three In One.

Mindee just shrugged. "Don't eat yellow snow."

"Laura, stop supplying Mindee with bad jokes." Harry sighed.

"Actually that was me." Dani admitted sheepishly.

"I swear… bonding with me has severely damaged your sanity! All of you!" Harry rolled his eyes. "Well, I guess we'll see you in a few hours to a few days… wait… where's Hilde?"

"She's delivering Layla's book to… Layla." Laura shrugged.

"NO! IT HAS TO DIE!"

There was a huge commotion as Bishop suddenly pushed his way past the other members of X-Force and raised his gun at Harry and Hope and fired before anyone but Harry could move.

Harry simply turned his back, shielding Hope and allowing the weapon to destroy his back. Meanwhile both HG and his puppy brother had transformed and were now pinning down Bishop as the other mutants finally began to move.

"What the hell is his problem?" Dani demanded angrily.

"He believes Hope is responsible for all the trouble that happened to the mutants we saw in the future." Layla explained. "Jamie and I met Bishop as a boy, he was very angry and very focused on revenge."

"What an idiot." Harry growled. He stepped forward and placed a glowing hand on Bishop's shoulder stripping away his powers. "I'm taking him back to his future with us. He can serve out his sentence there."

Harry and his bonded vanished along with Cable, Bishop and Hope leaving Layla and the X-Men standing there.

"I wish he would discuss things with the rest of us first." Scott sighed.

"I've watched him work for nearly seven years." Layla shrugged. "He does usually discuss things, it's only when the solution is obvious to him that he goes off and does them without discussion."

"Where are Harry and the girls?" Hilde asked as she reappeared.

"Taking the baby back to Ruby in the future. How come you didn't take so long?" Layla asked.

"I didn't need to spend more than an hour or so with your younger self so the time I was absent from the present was shorter. I gave her strict instructions to find Harry as soon as he arrived. Hopefully he will be able to help her improve things for the next iteration."

Layla just nodded. Over the years she spent in the future Harry and Hilde had been pounding into her head that simply doing the same thing over and over again and not trying to improve things was pointless. The book they created was magical with moving pictures and space for it to be updated. Eventually it would contain a near perfect solution for every iteration.

"Hi-Ho!"

Everyone turned to look at Pixie.

"Sorry, I just thought of a name for my puppy." She grinned.

"Hi-Ho?" Scott asked. "As in-"

"Hi Ho Silver! Away!" She cried out happily.

"What is it with you two?" Rogue asked Cessily and Pixie. "You couldn't call them Spike and Rover?"

"Why would they call them 'HG' and 'Hi-Ho'?" Brunhilde asked.

"'HG' is the chemical symbol for mercury." Laura explained. "And 'Hi Ho Silver! Away!' is the catch phrase of an old TV cowboy."

"Perhaps 'Hermes' and 'Epimelios' would be more appropriate." Brunhilde offered.

"Who are they?" Pixie asked.

"Alternative names for the Greek god who is also known as 'Mercury' in the Roman Pantheon." Scott explained.

"I like 'Hermes'." Cessily smiled.

Pixie just scrunched up her face. "Epi-whatsit is so long. I'll stick with Hi-Ho."

Once again, the sanity of the Welsh was brought into question.

*Chapter 19*: Chapter 19  
Chapter 19

Harry and the girls needed a few days to get back into the swing of things having been absent for several years from their point of view. Despite Harry having rebuilt the Mansion, Scott had decided it was time for a change and he had sent a team to San Francisco of all places. Harry decided to tag along with Warren Worthington, AKA Angel.

"So the sixties never died in your world?" Harry asked as he and Warren walked through the streets of San Francisco. All around them people were dressed like hippies. They acted like them too.

"I thought they had." Warren frowned. "I hate to think what Hepzibah and James make of it." He commented as he imagined the female alien feline and Warpath the Native American Warrior trying to fit in amongst the hippies.

"She is probably having the time of her life and he is probably happy to see her smile." Harry smirked.

"Cool beads man!"

Harry looked at Warren trying to work out why he suddenly sounded so 'spaced out'. All he saw was the angel-winged man wandering off as he shucked his top and accepted a gold chain from a nearby hippie.

"Warren? You feeling ok?"

"Dude, you need some beads." Warren said sagely as he held up the gold chain, it was clear Warren saw something else.

"Is he a Narc?" The young man who had handed Warren the chain asked suspiciously.

"Nah, that's Harry. He's cool." Warren smiled as he removed his t-shirt and now stood bare-chested.

"I take it we're not blending in?" Harry asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Relax man, take a moment." Warren said dreamily as he wandered off.

Harry rubbed his temple with the palm of his hand. Warren was a little spacey and the dragon in his head was roaring in agitation.

Harry hated mind powers.

Instead of using his own pitiful excuse for telepathy Harry decided to call in the experts. Actually he teleported straight to them.

"Emma, have to say, I love your outfit. Jean, always a pleasure. Scott… hi."

Having survived the destruction of the mansion Emma had declared they were going on holiday. Jean had invited herself along and they had headed off to stay in the Savage Land with Kazar. Lush jungles, cool lakes and rivers to bathe in, not a soul around for miles that needed saving and plenty of wild territorial animals for Scott to express his other frustrations on.

It was the perfect excuse for Emma to wear her favourite outfit.

Her birthday suit.

Jean had surprised Scott by following suit, but she had explained that she spent the better part of the thousand years with Harry completely naked. There wasn't much to do for fun. But sex was always a great way to pass the time. At the moment she was a walking encyclopaedia of sex. She was the professor and Emma and Scott were her students.

Fortunately for Scott's sensibilities Harry arrived when they weren't in the middle of doing… it. But they were all very naked and Scott was not used to showing everything to a guy. He desperately wanted something to cover up with. Considering he was surrounded by two gorgeous women, his hands weren't going to cover much. He did his best.

"Harry, have you come to join us?" Emma asked with a teasing smirk as she brazenly let her legs fall apart slightly giving Harry a much better view.

"Not today, I actually came on business."

This brought a frown to Emma's face and she crossed her legs clearly frustrated. "We're on holiday, there are plenty of other people available."

"Yeah, but I need a telepath who has been to San Francisco before. Warren and the others have got caught up in some sort of sixties revival and my dragon wanted to go ballistic."

"So it is a telepathic effect." Jean surmised.

"That's my guess."

"Can't you use the Cuckoos?" Emma whined.

"I don't think they would be pleased if they got sucked into the era of Free Love."

"What about Charles?"

"Can't find him. Which is worrisome in itself." Harry admitted.

Emma and Jean frowned and began concentrating.

"He's very well hidden." Emma noted.

"I can't even flash flame to him." Jean said.

"I'm guessing that they are using a lot of unknown technology." Harry offered. "I put Lorna on the case for now."

"I suppose we should get back to America then." Scott said as he slipped into leader mode.

"Darling, I'm sure only one of us is needed for such an endeavour." Emma said as she rose from her position next to him and conjured some clothes suitable for the public… which still wasn't much.

"You sure Emma?" Jean asked.

"Take the offered gift and reconnect with our Scott, Jean Dear." Emma smirked as she grabbed Harry's arm and they vanished.

Scott looked at Jean but only had a second to take in her devious grin before his formerly dead wife jumped on him with a squeal of joy.

"This brings back fond memories." Emma smiled as she and Harry wondered through the throngs of hippies that adorned the streets of San Francisco.

Harry just frowned at woman who couldn't be more than thirty. "Hard to believe you actually lived through the 60's and seventies."

"Yes well-"

Police cars screeching to a halt around them as they were boxed in interrupted them. Guns were drawn and warnings shouted.

"It wasn't me." Harry declared instantly.

Emma just rolled her eyes. "You always say that. It is rarely true."

"One day it might be!" Harry protested. He waved a hand causing the standard metal firearms of the SFPD to become plastic water pistols. He then caused both himself and Emma to become invisible.

"I have tried some similar… spells myself." Emma commented. "I have never been able to produce such large scale results. At best I would have been able to transfigure five of the weapons, but you did all twenty with ease."

"That's because you have a magical core that I gave you. It is limited in size and capacity and that relates to how much magic you can channel.

"I don't have a core, I simply use whatever magic is available." Harry explained.

"You don't store your own magic?"

"I always have magic in me but it is constantly flowing in and out of me, I am more of a conduit than a battery."

"What would happen if you found yourself in an environment without magic?"

Harry actually stopped walking. "That is an interesting question. One to which I have no clue. I have known and used magic since I was eleven, I imagine it would not be a nice experience."

"Is it possible for there to be an absence of magic? I have heard of magical nulls from the likes of Dr. Strange before."

"I honestly don't know, never experienced null magic. I would imagine my soul would have to detach from my body so I could leave the null area and connect with magic again."

"You've never encountered null magic before?" Emma asked surprised.

"Nope, but then this is only the second universe I have been to in my existence- ow!" Harry looked down to see a knife embedded in his chest. Looking up he saw Warpath bearing down on him with Hepzibah, Warren and Bobby close behind.

"It seems they can see us." Emma commented as she shifted to her diamond form.

"I doubt it, I think they are tracking us telepathically, or someone is guiding them. Why don't you go and deal with the source whilst I handle our friends." Harry offered.

Emma nodded and headed off as Harry made himself visible. He needed civilians to be able to see him so they wouldn't get caught in whatever fight was about to occur.

The first attack by Warpath was dealt with by simply sidestepping the charging man leaving him to go tumbling to the ground. This left Bobby to try and encase him in ice, which Harry countered with an incendio.

"OW!"

Harry discovered that vibranium could disrupt magic as he felt the second of Warpath's knives embed in his back.

That one was annoying as he couldn't reach it to get it out. But at least Warpath was out of knives.

But now he just had to avoid them all and prevent them from grabbing the blades in his chest and back. It was far from comfortable! The knives where preventing him from phasing, teleporting or even shifting to dragon form.

It was the most interesting fight he had had in a long time.

But he still had access to his magic and he started by conjuring his lightsabre. Now he just needed to keep them away from him. He began spinning around, swinging the energy sword at his opponents but never actually trying to hit them.

This seemed to anger his friends as they couldn't get near him without risk of losing a limb.

"WHY WON'T YOU DIE!?" Warpath roared angrily.

"Really? You're asking me that question?" Harry stopped his defensive manoeuvres and faced them. "The reason I can't die is because I am already dead. I am both alive and dead according to magic."

"THEN I WILL DESTROY YOU!"

Harry blasted the ground in front of Warpath but was disappointed when it was little more than a pickaxe hitting the concrete, the vibranium blades embedded in his body were clearly disrupting his use of magic now. In any other situation he would leave his body and build a new one, but that would take time and he needed to keep them away from Emma.

He had another option and that was to let himself get overrun. They couldn't really damage him, but it would hurt and there was a chance Warpath would remove his blades at some point and give him access to his magic properly. Harry was just glad he wasn't facing Surge and Mercury. Surge's electricity was an effective counter to magic and Mercury's unique metal was immune to magic.

Harry was saved by wide blast of red energy as Cyclops and Jean arrived on the scene.

"Emma said you could use a hand, I could hardly believe it!" Cyclops exclaimed.

"Just get these damned knives out of me." Harry growled. "I never have this problem with Logan and his claws."

"Are they hurting you?" Cyclops asked as Jean put a knee on Harry's back and yanked.

"Yeow! Everything hurts, you just get used to the pain. Logan and Laura understand it. OH GOD THE PAIN!" Harry screeched as Jean removed the knife from his chest.

"Baby." Jean muttered.

"No sympathy?" Harry pouted.

"Hold on, I think this is about to be over." Cyclops stated as he rose into the air.

Harry threw up a shield around himself and Jean to keep the others from attacking them.

Cyclops turned west and fired a concentrated narrow blast at a building several blocks over.

There was a ripple effect as Cyclops watched the illusion of the sixties flow back to present day. There were still the occasional individuals dressed in tie-dye shirts but those were the ones who had recently made them.

"You found the source?" Harry asked as Cyclops returned to ground level.

"Emma did, she just pointed me in the right direction. She lost the culprit in the blast though."

"I'm really sorry about stabbing you, but can I have my knives back?"

Harry, Cyclops and Jean turned to see Warpath standing there. He looked like an over grown kicked puppy, his head hung with a sad look on his face.

"What have we learnt?" Harry asked chidingly.

"Harry Potter is invulnerable?"

"You should have realised that months ago." Jean rolled her eyes.

"How about that your knives inhibit magic?" Harry said as he took the blades from Jean and handed them back to Warpath. "Those will be very useful weapons in the future."

"You are not going to take them from James as they can hurt you?" Hepzibah asked as she leaned against her new paramour.

"Nah, I could have gotten out of the situation but it would have put the civilians at risk. Emma was on the case so I just needed to keep you lot busy."

"Hey guys! Look who I found?" They all looked up to see Angel flying down with a dark haired woman in a business suit and skirt in his arms.

Harry leaned over to Scott. "Is he always that fast with women? We've only been in the city a few hours."

"He can be, but he doesn't normally bring them home."

"Meet Sadie Sinclair, the Mayor of San Francisco." Angel announced.

"Ok, that definitely explains it, Warren always manages to find the well-connected women." Scott muttered back to Harry.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Madam Mayor." Scott jumped as Emma stepped up from behind him. He hadn't heard her approach. It was an annoying downside to magic.

"Please, call me Sadie. Especially after this hunk just saved my life!" She was clearly high on adrenaline but her natural enthusiasm shone through. "Warren says the X-Men are looking to make Frisco your new home, is that true?" She asked eagerly.

"It's why the team was here." Scott acknowledged.

"Well, in that case, please contact my office as soon as possible! We would love to have you here and would like to offer any help we can." She declared with a bright smile.

"See! Isn't she amazing?" Warren beamed.

"I'll say." Harry agreed with a warm smile. "It is a definite pleasure to meet you Sadie." He stepped forward and offered her his hand.

"Oh my god! Y-y-your really him!"

Cyclops and Warren winced, here it comes, the fear of Death.

"You're Doctor Potter! Can you really heal hundreds of people?" She grabbed him by the collar and pulled him down slightly to look in his eyes.

Harry couldn't help but smile at the woman. She was a truly pure soul. "I can, if they choose to be healed."

"Would you be willing to help heal the citizens of San Francisco and any one who comes here?"

"As long as it isn't something that would take all day and prevent me from my other work."

"How long would it take you to heal a gathering of say… a thousand people? Could you do it en masse or would you have to do them one by one?"

Jean nudged Emma and indicated a pouting Warren who was no longer the centre of attention.

Warren saw the two women smirking at him and sneered back good-naturedly.

"Wow, so what if I arranged a meeting place like a building or a park and people gathered there at say ten am and you healed them, once a day you came to the meeting place and healed all those that were there?"

"That could work, but you realise that there will be a lot of people coming to San Francisco, your city-"

"Will see the biggest boom in tourism in decades! Aside from security issues I can't see a problem. San Francisco has always been a place of acceptance."

"Sadie, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship." Harry smiled warmly as he placed a glowing hand on her chest turning the wonderful human being in front of him into a truly magical being.

"I'm pregnant?"

"I believe I just said that."

"But we used birth control… granted it was mainly abstinence after I realised Tony had a camera in the bedroom… but still we used condoms!"

"All the time?"

"I'm on the pill!"

"Neither of those are one hundred percent effective and… accidents happen."

"Wow."

"I take it this isn't a bad thing?"

"Worrisome… not really bad though."

Peter Parker was officially underground again. His identity hidden beneath the Fidelius. Harry had insisted that he keep the Avengers in the know… and Tony as it would piss him off that he physically wouldn't be able to tell anyone.

The X-Men and the institute had moved to San Francisco where they were welcomed by the Mayor, Sadie Sinclair. Warren had purchased an obscene amount of land with his obscene amount of money.

He always got grumpy when Harry started conjuring diamond shields for some reason.

In the wake of the telepathic event that signalled the first mutant birth since M-Day, Mary Jane had also been affected. Harry had seen the reason instantly. Mary Jane was three months along with a magical mutant baby with telepathic powers, which was the reason she was also affected. The baby was suffering at the time.

They were now in the infirmary where Harry had just given her the news.

"Do you think I should tell Peter?"

"Is there a reason you shouldn't?"

"He has so much on his plate! The whole SRA, keeping New York safe, dealing with the Daily Bugle-"

"So why not give him some good news?"

"But he'll worry about us constantly."

"At which point you can kick his arse. But it's a cruel thing to keep this from him."

"I love how you say 'arse'… so English." Mary Jane giggled.

"Focus MJ." Harry smiled. "Call your husband, tell him New York is covered for the day and you will see him at home for a special night."

"Do your girls mind you volunteering them like this?"

"Them? Nah, I'm sending Surge and her team. They keep demanding missions so they can have this one. In fact, tell Pete he can have the week off."

It had taken several months but he had finally managed to arrange an interview with Trish Tilby where he would make her a magical on live TV. Harry arrived at the studio and went through the usual makeup and sound check with his microphone and then he was announced and he walked out into the studio.

"You are not Trish Tilby."

The sandy haired man who smiled genially as he rose, offered his hand. "Rick Stanford, a colleague of Trish's, she wasn't feeling well so I offered to take her place for this afternoon's demonstration."

Harry just stood there looking at the man and ignoring the hand. "Liar."

The smile never faltered. "I swear it's the honest truth. The country has seen me every morning on the breakfast show."

"I didn't say what you lied about, just that you lied." Harry turned to the camera. "Scott, please deal with Trish."

"Perhaps we could continue with the interview and demonstration. I understand you are going to give me magical powers today."

Harry looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "You understood wrong."

"But you clearly said you were willing to make everyone magicals and that everyone had the right to magic. So there shouldn't be any problem."

"Yeah… I did say that." Harry nodded. He then sat down and smiled cheekily. "What do you know? I was wrong!"

Rick frowned. "So you lied, Harry? I-"

"Call me Lord Death." Harry said firmly. "I don't know you. You aren't my friend and you haven't earned anywhere near enough respect to use my name."

Harry idly began playing with lightning between his fingertips. "I was wrong about everyone deserving magic and the right to use it. It's my own fault really. By the time I was ready to make everyone magical in my home reality, I had already been appointed the ruler of the planet. I had eliminated hunger, war and most crimes. Anyone who did commit a crime was found quickly and prosecuted."

"You mean killed?"

"I said what I said and I meant what I said. Don't attempt to force your meanings onto my words." Harry said warningly.

"Then what did you mean?" There was a hint of annoyance coming through.

"The punishment fit the crime. Any crime that caused harm to another on purpose was handed the sentence of death. Accidental crime saw imprisonment. Crimes that were not meant to harm others saw community service."

"And what about the falsely accused?"

"There were none." Harry said simply.

"You can guarantee that you never killed an innocent man?" Rick scoffed.

"I can. Would you like to help me prove it?" Harry asked as he held out his hand a small vial of clear liquid appeared.

"This is the most potent truth serum from my world. I ask you a question and you will answer. The entire truth will spill from your lips." Harry waved his other hand and Rick went stiff, his mouth hanging open. "Three drops are all that are needed." Harry told the viewers as he administered them.

Harry waved his hand and Rick relaxed.

"Tell me Rick, my boy, who do you work for?"

"NBCB News Network and the National Security Agency." Rick said emotionlessly.

There were gasps around the studio.

"Where is Trish Tilby?"

"In an NSA black ops base."

"Why?"

"I was to convince you to give me the magical powers which I would use to aid the NSA and help them figure out how to contain you."

"What does the NSA truly want to do with me?"

"Control you and use you to wipe out foreign and domestic opposition."

"Does the President know and approve of this?"

"Yes."

Harry tilted his head slightly as if listening.

"My friends have rescued Miss Tilby and have the agents holding her in custody." Harry assured the viewers.

There was a flash of flame and Trish appeared with Fawkes on her shoulder.

"You ok Trish?" Harry asked sincerely as he stepped forward and hugged her.

"A little shaken, but I'm ok." Ever the professional, Trish turned to the cameras. "On behalf of NBCB news we would like to apologise for the underhanded actions of Rick Stanford. We also apologise to Doctor Potter for attempted deception."

"I understand that it was not your fault, Trish. If someone could remove that disgusting piece of garbage I believe we should give your viewers what they were expecting?" Harry said with a warm smile.

"Trish, problem?" Harry asked as he looked up from the medical files he was reviewing in the infirmary.

"I just had to flee my apartment. Men in suits tried to haul me away." She said frantically as she showed him a nasty bruise on her upper arm just visible below her white t-shirt.

A simple wave from Harry and the bruise was gone.

"I can sort something out. It will involve a bodyguard or two whilst you are out."

"What about my apartment?"

Harry just smiled.

"You want me to live in the X-Masion?" Trish exclaimed as she stared at the expansive structure.

"Technically you would be a tenant. The only time we would intrude would be if there was an emergency and we needed a fall back position."

"But this place is huge! How am I supposed to maintain this place?"

Hary rolled his eyes before putting on his best impression of Troy McClure. "Hi, I'm Harry Potter. You might remember me from such events as the time I removed twenty odd hearts from your body and yesterday when I made YOU A WITCH!" He finished loudly."

"That was so creepy." She shuddered. When Harry did an impression he mimicked the voice exactly, it was all part of being a metamorphamagus.

"I know!" Harry grinned.

"Ok, so I can probably live here with magic. But what about when the suits show up here?"

"They won't. This place is hidden by the Fidelius Charm. I am the secret keeper. If you need someone to know where you live then I have to tell them."

"What about my mail? Never mind, I use a PO box. But my work needs my address for files and records."

"I bought your building this morning. You can keep your old address for records and stuff. You just get to live here in the lap of luxury."

"And all I have to put up with is the occasional X-Man dropping by?"

"Here's hoping."

"That doesn't really inspire confidence!"

"You'll be safer here than in the city, especially if something like when the Hulk visited happens. They won't be able to touch this place. Technically it isn't in phase with our reality so it can't be touched."

"I suppose the important thing is that I can't be kidnapped from here by men in suits whilst I'm sleeping." Trish sighed.

"Find a room and get some sleep. When you have a day off really explore and then stake your claim on the best rooms!" Harry advised. "Tomorrow some of the students will be here to serve as your bodyguards."

*Chapter 20*: Chapter 20  
Chapter 20

Things went well for the first two weeks. The X-Men settled into the city and their new home. Trish found the room with the largest bed and closet and nearly died from happiness. The New X-Men managed to make the news regularly as Trish was a field reporter most of the time and they often pitched in to help clear up whilst two of them stuck to Trish like glue.

That did get a little annoying for Trish. Especially when Santo tried to argue that he should accompany her into the bathroom.

Cessily soon put her new boyfriend in his place.

But for mutants, trouble always finds them.

"It's disgusting is what it is Sadie!"

"Believe me, Scott, I fully agree, but this is San Francisco and if there is one thing we tried to protect it's a persons freedom of expression."

"Sentinels are not art!" Emma scowled. "Has the world forgotten that Sentinels were used to commit genocide against the mutant nation of Genosha, my god! Why don't we just add a gas chamber from World War II and complete the tableaux?"

"The world has not. But we are talking about weak minded fools who have money and pull. This fool, Ghi something or other, has decided to use Sentinels as his masterpiece of art work and some fool has decided to fund it."

"Are you investigating the artist and financier?" Harry asked from his set across from Sadie in the Mayor's office.

"On what grounds?"

"On the grounds that he wishes to move known weapons of mass destruction against mutants to their new home. Especially when he could have gone to New York, Paris or any other major city in the world.

"It strikes me as suspicious that this 'event' would occur so soon after the great mutant exodus to San Francisco."

"Please don't describe it like that Harry." Scott grimaced.

"I have a few contacts in local and federal law enforcement, but ideally we would need to contact SHIELD."

"Whatever you do, don't drop Harry's name." Emma smirked. "Tony still hates him."

Harry just sat there with a smug grin.

"Doesn't this constitute some form of racial hatred?" Scott asked as he kept the conversation on track.

"I checked, I have chased every avenue I could think of to legally stop this, but I was turned down. Forget the fact that X-Men are friends of San Francisco, I simply don't want weapons of mass destruction in my peaceful city!"

"So… this is considered art?" Harry mused. "Let it happen."

"What?" Emma demanded.

"Let it happen. The X-Men will be there and I will address the gathered patrons." Harry smiled.

Scott sighed. "You had better make sure that the city's insurance policies are up to scratch, Sadie."

The art show was disgusting.

If it wasn't bad enough with two looming Sentinels as the centrepiece, all the patrons had decided to dress as the X-Men. Granted it made it easier for the real X-Men to blend in, but it made it much harder for Wolverine to refrain from gutting people.

"Kid, whatever you're gonna do, do it now or I'm painting this place red." Wolverine growled at Harry.

Harry simply rose into the air. "Follow me."

Immediately the assembled X-Men flew up to join him as Harry moved to hover between the Sentinels.

"Ladies and Gentlemen!" Harry addressed the assembled rich, famous and utterly dumb. "You came here to see this so called art. These machines were created with one purpose. To kill mutants. Painfully and horrifically. And they did so, they eradicated fifteen million mutants on Genosha in seconds.

"So in essence, what you truly came here to see is DEATH!" Harry roared angrily. "A pale imitation of myself and an insult to everything I stand for! If these machines had truly sought to do my work then they would have turned on their makers and destroyed them!"

The crowd was backing away nervously just in case Harry decided to smite them.

"But you seem to have missed the true point of Death. Death is merely an aspect of life. Of existence. Without life you cannot die. Life is the true point of death. When death comes you should celebrate the life you lived.

"So, in order to honour the true meaning of Death, I will exercise the freedom of expression that you all seem to cherish. That allowed this disgusting display to be allowed."

Harry turned to the X-Men floating just behind him. "Use whatever tools or powers you need to dismantle the Sentinels and place the parts in front of me. But avoid scaring the fools."

They split into two teams, Cylcops, Emma, Rogue and Sunfire began dismantling the left Sentinel whilst Gambit, Colossus, Shadowcat and Iceman worked on the right. Angel stood nearby acting as a guard for Harry, a symbolic gesture.

As the X-Men quickly lowered the armour and various parts to Harry, Harry would melt them down using his dragon fire.

The crowds watched in awe.

"How can you let him do this?" The so-called 'artist' demanded.

"As he stated, he is only invoking his right to freedom of expression, Mr. DuMonde." Sadie smirked.

"But he is destroying my masterpiece!"

"Your welcome to go and argue your point with him." Sadie offered.

Guy DeMonde was a self-proclaimed artist. A man of vision. Someone who brought beauty to the unwashed masses and helped to improve the world and her people.

He also claimed that you pronounced his name: 'Gee'.

Everyone else with a grain of common new he was an egotistical little bastard who provoked controversy for controversy's sake and that he hadn't given a blessed cent to charity his entire life.

His mother also claimed his name was pronounced 'Guy'.

He also claimed a broad-minded vision. Which never seemed to let him see beyond his own ego. So when Mayor Sinclair proposed he should confront Death… it seemed like a reasonable suggestion.

"You! Stop that! You are ruining a masterpiece!" Guy objected as he huffed his way up to the area where Harry was melting his 'art' to its raw components.

"Quiet! Can't you see I'm working here?" Harry scowled.

"You sir, are destroying a work of art!"

"Actually I'm dismantling weapons of mass destruction. But if any one asks I'm expressing my creative freedoms." Harry smirked.

"That's the last of it Doctor Potter." Scott informed Harry respectfully as he and the others levitated the soles of the Sentinels' boots over to the pile.

Seconds later there was a twenty-foot pile of molten metal and plastic on the platform.

Harry rose up and addressed the crowd again.

"This is true art. This is true symbolism. This is an expression of humanity over coming what obstacles and threats come at it." Harry said indicating the pile. "And now, from the ashes of humanities enemies, I will show you life."

Harry began waving his hands over the pile and it began to move. It grew taller and thinner.

The crowd watched in wonder.

The pile seemed to become liquid as it flowed upwards and the body of a man some thirty feet tall. It soon became clear who the figure was.

Logan couldn't help but snigger.

Scott was not pleased.

When he was finished a thirty-foot tall metal statue with full colour of Cyclops holding the baby Hope was standing on the platform.

"Scott Summers, Cyclops. The leader of the X-Men and acknowledged spokesman for mutant-kind, the baby Hope, is his adopted grand daughter and the first mutant born after M-Day. This is what they looked like after Cyclops lead the X-Men to rescue Hope from the worst of both mutant and non-mutant kind. An image of hope and life created from a life of persecution and the tools of that persecution." Harry announced to the crowd.

What happened next truly shocked the crowd.

The statue moved. It smiled at the baby, just like Cyclops had when he held Hope. The statue of Hope responded.

Nobody moved as they watched in awe.

"YOU DESTROYED MY MASTERPIECE!"

Almost nobody.

"Shut up Guy." Sadie snapped. She indicated for her bodyguards to remove the man from the building. She was in perfectly safe hands with Kurt and Illyana standing with her.

The crowd was so engrossed that nobody noticed a figure dressed as Magneto carefully slink out of the building. Nobody had deduced he was the real deal.

He had come to cause a distraction but after seeing just what the man claiming to be Death had done, he couldn't allow himself to sully the event.

No. In fact he needed to re-think his current methods and possibly seek an alliance with the man so that they might together rebuild mutant kind.

"That's absolutely beautiful Doctor Potter." Mayor Sinclair declared with happy smile and tears in her eyes as she approached the X-Men on the platform.

"Thank you, Mayor Sinclair."

"Does it have a name?"

"A name?"

"Most artists give their work a title or name which describes their intent for the piece." She explained.

"Ah. I have never been much of an artist. But I suppose 'Hope's Protection' might be apt." Harry mused.

"Perfect." Sadie turned to the assembled patrons. "I am officially declaring this to be one of San Francisco's Historical Treasures. Anyone attempting to sully it is not welcome in this city." She stated with authority.

It was a few days later that Mayor Sadie Sinclair turned up at the new X-Men compound.

"Mayor Sinclair, a pleasure to have you here." Scott greeted the X-Men's newest and most outspoken supporter.

"Please, just call me Sadie in private. Is Doctor Potter around?"

"Probably in the infirmary with Hank. I'll show you the way."

The two bodyguards quietly fell in step a respectful distance away.

"Is there a problem?" Scott asked as they walked.

"No, I just have a few questions for Doctor Potter, really it's my own curiosity, but they might come up officially later."

"I see, and please, feel free to use our first names, especially if we are to use yours." Scott smiled.

"This place looks finished."

"Magic has a way of speeding things up."

"And freeing you. The only reason I could make this appointment is because Harry made me a witch. I can cut down on travel time and the need to take extra security. The citizens are going to love it when I announce I cut my carbon foot print to nearly zero!" She grinned.

"Sadie! What brings you down here?" Harry smiled warmly as the group arrived at the Infirmary. "I think Warren might start getting jealous if he finds out you're seeing other men on the side." He teased.

"Hush you. I just wanted to ask you a few questions about your art creation."

"Oh? Like I said, I've never actually done public art before. The closest I come to an artist is when I would sit with my kids and we would do finger-paints and the like." He said with fond remembrance.

"The Master of Magic covered in bright colourful paint… that would be an interesting sight." Hank muttered as he continued to putter about in the background.

"Actually, I was wondering if there was a specific reason that various individuals have been arrested for public indecency outside the building during the middle of the day." She smirked with a knowing look.

"Oh god, it's SHIELD all over again." Hank groaned still working away.

"Public indecency?" Scott queried.

"Urination, defecation and public nudity." Sadie grimaced. "In the middle of the road. They suddenly turn up and stop traffic before… doing the deed."

"Haaarrry?" Scott growled.

Harry had the worst 'innocent smile' ever on his face. "It wasn't me?"

"Haaaaaarrrrryyyy!"

"Fine, I put some protective compulsions around the statue. Anyone who wants to deface it or disrespect it in a way that is detrimental to others enjoying it will find themselves outside the next time the streets are busy and doing one of the three."

"So gross." Hank sighed from the back.

"What do you mean by deface or disrespect?" Sadie asked.

"They have to actively be about to attempt to vandalise the statue or the area around it for the purpose of disrespect to the statue or what it stands for. So, if someone simply has a weak bladder or drops a piece of food, nothing will happen. It's all about intent." Harry explained.

"You have a disgusting mind." Scott grimaced with disgust.

"At least this way they get arrested for an equivalent crime." Harry shrugged.

"By any chance, did you take into account what would happen if groups of people attempted to vandalise the statue?" Sadie asked.

"Ummm-"

"Or the fact that there are ten cameras located outside the art gallery?"

"Ah-"

"Dr. McCoy, do you have a computer with internet access down here?" Sadie asked.

"Of course, Your Honour."

"Sadie is fine Doctor." She assured him as she followed the oft-blue mutant.

"Then please, call me Hank. Now, what are we searching for and should I be adding it to the school's list of banned sites?"

"Just type 'San Francisco Mass Defecation UTube.'"

"Would you excuse me for a moment." Scott scowled before he vanished on the spot.

"Good Lord! There are UTube videos with literally tens of thousands of hits!" Hank exclaimed.

"Videos of what?" Lorna asked as she teleported in with Scott, Amara, Jean and Emma.

"People defecating and urinating!"

"On UTube?"

"Apparently."

"I would have thought they would have taken those videos down." Amara commented.

"They tried, but people keep putting them back up." Sadie explained.

"Oops." Harry smiled sheepishly.

"Oops? What do you mean oops? What did you do?" Jean frowned.

"Well, I'm not responsible for the videos but I am responsible for redirecting vandals and racists into doing this instead of destroying the statue I made."

"So all these videos are of racists who wanted to, what… graffiti and the like on that work of art?" Lorna asked.

"Mainly those who hate mutants and want to hurt mutants. Regular teenagers will just urinate on the front sidewalk. The severity of the punishment is based on the severity of the attempted crime."

"I approve, could you do something similar for the compound?" Emma asked calmly.

"You approve?" Scott asked with raised eyebrows.

"Of course. This type of punishment protects the innocent but forces public yet peaceful punishment on the criminals. It seems perfectly in keeping with the X-Men's standards, in fact it is even better as Harry isn't giving them a sound thrashing like we usually do."

"And it leaves the perpetrators open to arrest and prosecution." Lorna nodded.

"I'm fairly certain Mayor Sinclair doesn't see it that way!" Scott objected.

Sadie looked at them innocently. "See what? I have no idea what you are talking about. I just came here to talk to Harry about his first attempt at mass healing. What are you talking about?"

"What?!"

"I believe that is our cue to leave." Jean smiled as she grabbed Scott's arm and gave Emma a nod before they vanished.

"By any chance, have you perhaps put any protections on the rest of the city? In the event of invasions and the like." Sadie asked. "San Francisco is no stranger to major violent events and I would be stupid not to expect more now that the X-Men are officially citizens."

"I hadn't even thought to do that." Harry frowned.

"Well, forget I mentioned it. Anything too drastic and I would have to inform Washington and that might not be the best idea in the light of our current woes with the SRA." She said with a wink to Harry.

"Me? Drastic!" Harry cried in mock outrage. He then grinned smugly. "Yeah, it'll be epic!"

It was a few days later that Hank approached Scott and Harry with his latest proposal.

"Despite Harry's mission to turn people into witches and wizards, we still haven't made any progress to returning mutants their powers." Hank stated as they sat in Scott's office.

"Well that's not entirely true. I have plenty of information and I have a feeling I have everything I need barring one final ingredient."

"Oh?" Scott queried.

"We have the mutant energies from Michael Pointer's old body. We also have Michael who has been helping me. I've already begun reactivating the X-Gene, we just need to be able to put the energies back in the right people."

"And you can't do that yourself?" Scott asked.

"No, but I think I know who can." Harry smiled knowingly. "They are simply unavailable at the moment."

"Hope." Scott sighed.

Harry nodded. "Hope or another mutant soon to be born."

"I don't understand why you think Hope will be able to do this." Hank frowned. He and Harry had discussed this frequently since they arrived in San Francisco.

"It's all about evolution. Mutants are an evolutionary response. Evolution is all about adapting to new circumstances and threats. Therefore, Hope, or someone soon to be born will be able to either re-energise the mutants or put the energies in Michael's body back where they belong."

"So you are guessing?" Scott asked.

"Educated guesses, but yes."

"And Hank, your proposal is…?" He prompted.

"There are several notable experts in the field of genetics and biology who might be able to come to a more definitive answer and possibly long before Harry's theories are capable of being tested. I wish to seek out and try and recruit these people for that purpose."

Scott looked at Harry, who just shrugged. "It's a good idea. Even if they don't come up with a solution to this issue they will learn new things and that is always good."

"Are you going to be joining this club?"

"Maybe, I have plenty of things I need to work on, but I am probably the foremost expert on the planet when it comes to the human body. At least the basic human body, mutants are new to me."

"And your magical knowledge would also be useful." Hank added.

"I can't think of a reason not to go ahead, other than reminding you to try to not do anything against the laws of man… like Stark and Richards did with that clone of Thor."

"Good Lord no!" Hank exclaimed with a shudder. "Although I am curious on the justifications for cloning Michael Pointer's body?" He asked as he turned to Harry.

"Done with permission and for the sole purpose of using the body as a form of receptacle. It will have no mobility or intelligence and therefore cannot affect the life of Michael Pointer himself."

"Unlike the Thor clone that attempted to usurp Thor's identity." Scott noted.

"Exactly."

"I will leave you two to your philosophical discussions, try not to destroy the fabric of existence whilst you're at it." Scott grimaced. It was never a good thing when a being with as much powers as Harry got melancholy and introspective.

"Actually, I was meaning to tell you, I will be away for a few… for a time. Not sure how long but I hope to be back soon."

"Define soon." Scott asked warily. When a fifteen million year old creature says they will be back 'soon', they could mean anything from ten minutes to several hundred thousand years.

"It's a time travel thing. I'm going to try and go back and meet Odin for the first time. He and Brunhilde say they can't tell me about myself now as they are supposed to tell me back then." Harry paused as he saw the looks of confusion. "I'll try and be back within a year."

The girls were even less happy about Harry leaving.

"Pleeeease can we come with you?" Laura begged.

"Both Odin and Brunhilde said you weren't there, so it's best if you aren't there this time." Harry hugged her. "You will be fine. You will take care of each other and maybe you will find more boyfriends."

"But I only want you!"

"Us too." The Cuckoos added.

"Whilst I am gone I will work on my time travel and try to refine my returns so that I am not gone for long. But I really need to learn more about myself and Odin won't talk to me in this time period."

"We'll take care of them." Lorna promised.

"But if you take too long we will nag Brunhilde into taking us to get you." Dani warned.

"When you do return you will need to marry the rest of us officially." Amara informed him.

"I can't do that until I take over the world and change the laws of the US!"

"Actually, the All-Father would be able to marry you." Brunhilde corrected.

"And T'Challa would probably be willing to work something out in Wakanda." Lorna nodded.

"Before you go there is one thing we have to do." Laura said with a hungry look.

Harry didn't leave for another three days. He spent all that time in the bedroom and he left with a huge smile on his face and several satisfied women sprawled out around the room. A perpetually healing body meant no real loss of stamina and nearly a million years worth of sex with women of different cultures made him a god.

Scott Summers was a practical man. He didn't keep much that wasn't of use to him. There had been times when he had to stop himself treating people like assets. He would find himself thinking about whether a person was useful to him, Jean was the one who had slapped him down. He had begun to slip back into that way of thinking after her death… Emma wasn't much help as she was happy to think of people as assets.

Unfortunately the most useful asset he had ever met had just left. Harry Potter had essentially left to go on a journey of self-discovery. Scott was about to find out that just like his Harry's adopted father, Harry Potter left chaos wherever he went. Usually good chaos… today was bad chaos.

The phone rang and he answered it.

"Summers."

"Professor Summers? I'm in a bit of a pickle. Do you think you could come down to the police station."

"Megan? Is that you?"

"Yes sir."

"What happened?"

"I was attacked and Hi Ho saved me. But now they want to put him down I told them no and they keep shooting him! I don't know how much longer I can hold him off." It was clear Megan was getting panicky.

"I'm on my way."

Scott slammed the phone down and immediately put a mental call out for Emma.

"Pixie's in trouble, I'll be out in the city for a bit."

"Do you need back up?" Came the reply.

"Put Jean on standby. I might need her knowledge of Harry and what he did to Pixie's new dog."

"Very well, try not to be too long. I've just got back from Milan and I have some 'items' for you to inspect."

Scott couldn't help but chuckle at the way she used innuendo in a private mental conversation.

"EWWW!"

Then he remembered that there were other telepaths around.

"Girls, this is a private conversation." Scott admonished.

"We can't help what we hear, Mr. Summers." The Cuckoos responded with an audible sulk.

"But you can pretend to not hear." Emma retorted. "If you behave yourselves I might be persuaded to take you to Milan so you can buy your own 'items' for when Harry returns."

"We always behave ourselves!" Came the haughty reply.

When Scott arrived at the police station he found all the police and admin staff outside hiding behind a makeshift barricade of squad cars. Guns were pointed at the entrance and he could even see snipers perched on rooftops and a SWAT team getting ready.

He made his way to the highest-ranking officer, the local precinct captain.

"I'm Cyclops of the X-Men, I'm came here to pick up a student, Megan Gwyn, what's the problem here?"

The Captain, a well built man who hadn't let the desk job get to his physique, looked at Cyclops with an incredulous expression.

"'What's the problem?' I'll tell you what the problem is! Your student has a metallic monster in there. It already mutilated several men and keeps threatening to attack us when we try and capture it!" He said angrily.

"Did you threaten Megan? That dog has heavy charms on it so that it won't attack anyone unless they threaten it or Megan." Cyclops frowned.

"We were trying to do our jobs! We got a call that someone was being attacked. We got to the scene and found your girl and her dog standing in the middle of dismembered bodies! We took her into custody but when we tried to separate her from the dog it turned into this huge monster and started snarling and growling."

"But it didn't hurt any of your officers?" Cyclops pushed.

"Not directly, but-"

"I'm going in to talk to Megan, see if she has her dog calmed down. I suggest-"

"Absolutely not! No one goes there until that girl is out and I've had a team sent in to put the dog down."

"That dog was modified and charmed by Harry Potter, it was created originally to destroy all mutants! How exactly are you going to 'put it down'?" Cylcops challenged.

"If necessary I'll call in SHIELD and have them snuff it, but I will not have that thing running around my city!"

Cyclops stood staring at the man for a few moments. This was wrong. It didn't make sense. He needed to get into the building to check on Megan.

Then he had a sudden insight.

He could teleport.

"Where tha' hell did he go?"

"I thought Cyclops only had the eye-beam thing, didn't know he could teleport." A lieutenant mused.

"Find out where the hell he went!"

"Mr. Summers! You came! I mean, Cyclops."

"This doesn't count as the field quite yet, Megan. At the moment we are two civilians attempting abide by the law."

"I was! Those big meanies in masks came and started attacking me! I was walking home with my friend from the Dazzler concert and they came out of no where."

"What about what the police said? Hi Ho dismembered them?" Scott really hated Harry for not naming the silver puppy before he gave it to the eccentric girl. It just sat there happily in Megan's arms.

"Dismembered means removing body parts. Hi Ho didn't do that. He just snapped a few bones and joints." She said with certainty.

Cyclops sighed. This was likely going to be a long night of pointless arguing with prejudiced cops. "We need to make the police feel safe, Megan. Why didn't you teleport back home when they all started running and screaming?"

"You taught us we had to stay and do our civic duty. They still haven't taken my statement!" She said indignantly.

"Take your dog and return to the school. Report to your counsellor and explain the situation." Scott ordered.

"Yes sir." Megan said before teleporting away.

Scott found himself alone. In a police station. He had a sudden desire to rifle through the files and see what dirt could be found.

He frowned. "Emma?"

"It would be considered informational retrieval for the purposes of-"

"Stop trying to nudge my actions, Emma." He thought fairly annoyed.

"Actually, that was me." Came Jean's thoughts. "I think Harry and Emma have corrupted me!"

Scott barely managed to refrain from banging his head against a brick wall, repeatedly.

Scott's prediction came true. Fortunately the arguing took place in the Mayor's comfortable office.

"There is absolutely no proof that those boys were doing anything other than walking peacefully down the street when that… girl and her dog attacked them!" The Captain, Daniels, argued.

"We have plenty of magical truth serum that Doctor Potter made for us, we could always use that." Scott offered.

"You can't force someone to take that stuff, Scott, just like you can't force them to take a polygraph." Sadie pointed out.

Scott just smirked. "I wasn't talking about making the attackers take it. I was thinking of asking Megan to take it and to testify about what happened. Especially when she got back to the precinct."

Daniels paled slightly, but both Sadie and Scott caught it.

"That stuff has never been verified or tested. I definitely don't believe that some nut calling himself 'Death' can make it." He sneered.

"We can always offer to have it tested." Sadie suggested.

"Doctor Potter left strict instructions not to let it out of the X-Men's possession. Any testing will have to be done back at the compound."

"Not good enough." Captain Daniels smirked. "The people have a right to know justice is being served."

"And they can. The 'People' can set up a televised test. But the only people handling the serum will be the X-Men."

"We'll have to see what the courts think of that. I'm thinking that maybe this serum should be a controlled substance. Does it even have FDA approval?"

"No, and as per Harry's instructions, it won't be available to the government until they clean up their act and abolish things like the SRA."

"There is precedent for using it Captain. I have reports from Queen Ororo that Wakanda has tested it and deemed it safe and they are already making it mandatory for court cases to prevent fraud and perjury." Sadie spoke up.

"This is not Wakanda, Your Honour, this is the United States of America. We have higher standards." He declared arrogantly.

"You really don't know much about the world outside America, do you Captain?" Sadie smirked. "Wakanda is the most civilised and technologically advanced country on the planet. Nobody has higher standards."

"America is the greatest country on Earth! We lead the free world!"

"Actually, we only think we lead the free world. We are the only country that claims that to be true." Scott sighed. He'd spent a lot of time in other countries and he realised that the arrogance of those claims by politicians tended to annoy other countries. Especially when those countries were far older than America and more involved in the rest of the world.

America did a lot of good but that good was sullied by the 'holier than thou' attitude of the politicians and 'patriots'.

"You're one of those damned liberals, aren't you!"

"Captain Daniels! We are not here to debate politics!" Sadie snapped. "We are here to discuss the situation regarding the attack on Miss Megan Gywnn and the subsequent actions of her pet."

The Captain looked at Scott with disgust before turning his attention back to the Mayor. "The fact is that we only have her word that she was attacked. We have plenty of evidence that her mutt attacked the boys."

"I have here the witness statements of two individuals who saw Miss Gywnn being attacked. I also have the two 911 calls, one of which was from Miss Gwynn herself during the attack." Scott answered as he placed the flash drives and papers on the Mayor's desk.

"We still have to hear from the boys. See if they corroborate your witnesses."

"Actually, Captain, that would become a matter of 'he said, she said'. The witness statements and 911 calls push the facts in favour of Miss Gywnn." Sadie corrected. "Now, you will send an officer to GreyMalkin Industries to get Miss Gywnn's statement and then you will file charges against the men and hand the case over to the DA."

"With all due respect Madam Mayor, you don't have the power to direct my investigation."

"My power, Captain, lies with the law and the people." Sadie stood and leaned slightly on her desk intimidatingly. "I will be keeping a very close eye on this case and if I think for even one second that you are misapplying the law and abusing your position, I will take what I know to the press and you will find yourself under investigation. Am I clear?"

Daniels stood up angrily. "I can't believe you are taking the word of mutants over humans." He said as he stormed out.

Sadie slumped into her chair bonelessly.

"Welcome to the mutant race, I think you just earned your place in it." Scott said with a sad smile.

Sadie returned the smile before she grew serious. "Get your student the best lawyer you can find, Scott. If this goes to court I want you to counter sue. It's the easiest way to bring corruption and bigotry to light."

"It's a shame Jennifer Walters was disbarred. Not to mention Matt Murdock."

"What about the New X-Man, Prodigy? Does he still have his powers? Couldn't he absorb what he needs and pass the Bar?"

"Unfortunately he was depowered. But you have given me an idea." Scott smiled.


	5. Chapter 21 - Chapter 25

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> M-Day. A day that would go down in history as the emergence of a new breed of humans. The Magicals. It all started with one individual who thought he was there to save the mutants. Sequel to Potter's Protector, rating for violence and swearing, no slash.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a Repost all words belong to mjimeyg

*Chapter 21*: Chapter 21  
Chapter 21

"Where's Harry?!" Peter demanded as he teleported into Scott's office. "I can't teleport to him and we have a major emergency!"

"Peter, calm down." Jean said soothingly. "Now calmly describe the emergency."

"Skrulls."

"You found a Skrull Cell?" Scott asked as he stood up and rounded the desk to join Emma, Jean and Peter.

"Err… no, just the one."

"One?"

"It was disguised as Elektra!"

"The assassin?"

"And even Wolverine couldn't tell the difference."

"If you couldn't tell the difference then how-"

"A new acquaintance killed the Skrull and it reverted back to its natural form."

"You're thinking it's an invasion?" Jean asked.

"All I know is that the Avengers are about to turn on each other. They don't know who to trust."

"Where's the body?" She asked.

"There was an incident. Spider Woman took it to Stark."

"Stark? How do you know he isn't a Skrull?" Emma asked. "It would explain his recent actions."

"Let me rephrase: She stole the body and took it to Stark." Peter scowled.

"This is very bad." Jean said quietly.

"This needs to be kept quiet." Scott said as he rounded his desk and pulled out a vial from his desk. "Harry gave this to me. It is the strongest magical serum he knows of. Three drops on the tongue and we will answer anything asked with complete truthfulness."

"You want me to dose the Avengers?" Peter asked sceptically.

"No, as I said, we need to keep this quiet. We four will take it so we have some peace of mind that we are not Skrulls. Then we will decide how to proceed."

"Wait… where is Harry?"

"Some where in the distant past." Jean winced.

"I thought he hated time travel?"

"He does, but apparently this was all supposed to happen so he would meet Brunhilde and Odin and learn more about himself." She explained.

"Can we call him back?"

"We could see if Brunhilde could fetch him. She could petition Odin to send her back." Scott suggested.

"Let's focus on the here and now." Emma interrupted. "Is there an antidote? I really have no desire to start spouting all my innermost secrets in front of others."

"There is, and you will only respond to questions asked. We will ask the basic question of 'Are you or have you ever been a Skrull' and then apply the antidote." Scott explained.

Fifteen minutes later the office was filled with three individuals with various levels of amusement and one hacked off Spiderman.

"Really? Underwear? Is that part of some bizarre X-Men hazing ritual? Do you ask all the students if they wear underwear underneath their costumes."

Jean had what only be called: A Shit-Eating Grin.

She was the one who had slipped that question in as Peter was the last one to go.

Emma was smirking and Scott was trying not to laugh.

"You should be grateful that I didn't get to ask my next question: Have you ever ripped your costume so much and flashed anybody in a fight?"

Peter just glared at her. "Tit for tat. You three answer the same question." He demanded.

Scott just shrugged. "When Professor Xavier had our original costumes made he had special undergarments created as part of them, for extra protection. Most of us kept the idea as we are subjected to various forms of radiation."

Jean nodded in agreement.

Emma snorted when he looked at her. "Darling, do you really think I could fit any form of underwear under these?" She asked as she stroked her white leather pants. "The panty lines would be disastrous!" She said completely scandalised.

"Huh."

"What?" Scott asked.

"I think I know why MJ was always missing when she was staying with you guys." Peter said as he eyed Emma suspiciously. "It would explain Emma's ever changing costume styles."

"I didn't notice any changes." Scott frowned as he examined Emma's costume.

"Dude, I married a fashion designer, if I don't notice I sleep on the couch… and considering I rarely get to sleep in my bed anyway… you get the idea."

"Ahem… Skrulls?" Jean prompted with a smile.

"Oh yeah. So what do we do?" Peter asked.

"We need that dead Skrull. We can't trust Stark at the moment." Scott mused.

"What are we going to do with it?"

"Give it to Hank and have him try and figure out a way of detecting Skrulls."

"Lorna too." Jean added. "Whilst they were in the future Harry taught them various magical skills. Lorna was skilled in charms work. I can also help in the magical side of things."

"We need to consider bringing in Richards and possibly even Banner, if the Hulk will let him out." Emma said.

"Anyone we bring in has to take the truth serum." Scott said firmly.

"What about the rest of the Avengers?" Peter asked.

"No. As much as we want to, we can't bring anyone else in until we can positively identify the Skrulls. Essential personnel only."

"Does that mean you want us to break into the Hellicarrier and steal back the body?" Peter did not look pleased at that prospect, especially after the last time he was there and they tried to read his mind.

"It shouldn't be too hard." Emma said dismissively. "We are all fairly well trained in magic. Invisibility, phasing and teleporting."

"Are we planning on just stealing the body, switching out or making it look like it self-destructed?" Jean asked.

"Stealing it." Scott stated. "We have nothing to switch it with or stage a scene. If we steal it then they will be forced to begin investigating."

"Do we really want them investigating?" Emma argued. "Do we want the Skrull's tipped off? I vote we wipe the knowledge of the Skrulls from Tony's mind and anyone he told. If word gets out of an infiltration then it will make it that much harder to stop."

"Not to mention the mass panic as everyone begins to suspect everyone else. The Avengers already had a falling out over this. Hell! I want you to remove my memories!" Peter said as he got worked up slightly.

Jean began humming, it was a soothing song of a Phoenix and it helped to calm Peter down.

"Thanks." Peter muttered gratefully as he sank back into his chair.

"Peter, how long has it been since you slept?" Jean asked.

"I don't know. We were in Japan and there was this whole deal with the Hand, Silver Samurai and don't even get me started on the time zones. They wouldn't let us teleport, insisted on using the jet so… I really don't know."

"If you go home now will you be able to sleep?"

"I hope so. But I doubt it." Peter admitted.

"Go and sack out in one of the spare rooms, Pete, I'll go and let Mary Jane know where you are whilst Emma and Scott retrieve the Skrull."

"I have one last question, why didn't you suspect Harry of being a Skrull?" Scott asked.

Peter just smiled tiredly. "You ever seen a Skrull actively go out of his way to give power to someone else? Or bring back the dead and talk to the souls of millions of genocide victims? You think a Skrull would be able to reason with the Hulk?"

"That doesn't even take into account his ability to create soul bonds." Emma added. "With Harry's gifts and training, the X-Men could hold off the invasion on their own."

"Let's not test that theory." Peter said as he noticed the eager gleam in Emma's eye.

"That is a Skrull."

"As always, Henry, your powers of deduction are astounding." Emma drawled.

Hank decided to ignore her. "Why is it here?"

They were currently in the depths of the Greymalkin Industries, the new home of the X-men. The room was a special lab that Harry had protected with the Fidelius and made Scott the Secret Keeper for.

"It was posing as Elektra." Scott explained. "The worst part is that even Logan couldn't tell the difference."

"Oh dear."

"Quite." Emma snarked.

Hank glared at her. "I suppose you want me to discover how they managed this and develop a new detection method?

"You realise this would go much better if Reed was working with me on this. He is the planet's foremost expert on Skrulls."

"Reed has his head so far up Tony's-"

"Em'." Scott said warningly. He turned to Hank. "As you know there are complications involved when it comes to Reed and Tony. We are actually wondering if they have been replaced as well."

"How can I be sure you aren't Skrulls? How can you be sure I'm not one?"

"We three, along with Spiderman have all taken Harry's truth serum. We're relying on that for now and praying it works." Jean explained. "You need to take it as well." She said as she brandished the vial.

"Couldn't we use this on Reed as well?"

"We'd still have to deal with him running to Tony." Scott said shaking his head.

"If it comes down to it we will just have to… sequester him." Emma said. It was obviously a euphemism for 'kidnapping'.

"Can I at least bring in the rest of the X-Club?"

"Harry is going to kill you when he hears that name." Jean giggled.

"It wasn't my idea! It just came to be." He said defensively.

"I might have called it that when talking to Dr. Kavita Rao." Scott winced in shame.

The looks of disgust aimed his way were merely a taste of what was to come when Harry found out.

"Cyclops, tell me you have that Skrull detector ready?"

Scott was sitting at his desk when the mental question from Spiderman came through.

"No, the X-Club ar-"

"Dude, we have a crashed Skrull ship in the Savage land. Inside are a whole bunch of duplicates, everyone from Jarvis to Wolverine… hell! I can see me!"

"Calm down Peter, you need to be the voice of reason."

"REASON?! I am the voice of quips and jokes! I am never the- ok, I'm usually the voice of reason… but lets face it, nobody tends to listen to me."

"Peter, relax, I'm coming now with Jean."

Scott switched focus to Hank.

"Hank, it's begun. Do what you need to."

"Understood." Came the reply.

The arrayed heroes stood facing each other, each side waiting for the other to make a move. Nobody knew who was the imposter and who was the genuine article.

"Everybody stand down!"

All heads snapped up to see Cyclops and Jean hovering above them.

"First one who starts something will find themselves in a very dark and lonely place. We can sort this out peacefully or I can throw the lot of you into a dark and lonely place… I will then proceed to throw away the key and forget I ever saw you."

"Pretty bold words Slim, you got the balls to back it up?" The Wolverine from the crashed ship challenged.

Cyclops just ignored him. "We are developing a way to determine who is the real article and who is not. If I have to I will kill all of you if you make me. Then I will definitely know who is the imposter as the Skrulls revert back to their true form when they die."

Now Cyclops was bluffing. If Harry was around he would actually consider killing them all and leaving it to Harry to sort out… but Harry wasn't available.

"Scott, I have identified several imposters, but some of these duplicates truly believe they are who they say they are." Jean told him telepathically.

"I want everyone to back away from each other, form a circle so no one's back is to anyone else's." Cyclops ordered.

"I ain't taking orders from you kid, for all we know, you are a Skrull!" The new Wolverine snarled.

Cyclops opened his mouth to speak only to have a shield appear in front of him as several blasts of energy impacted it.

"I don't think they want to talk dear." Jean remarked as she maintained her shield.

"Get Spiderman clear, I want to find the imposter." Cyclops ordered as he began firing optic blasts and stunners into the fray. Some of the people down there were immune to that type of magic, especially the ones like Iron Man. Only Harry had the level of power and skill required to mess with the armour the way he did."

Jean began transmitting telepathically at the first Spiderman she saw. "Spiderman, what was the awkward question we asked you a few weeks ago?"

"Who the hell is in my head?"

"Found the imposter Scott."

Cyclops immediately blasted the fake with all his power. Scott was capable of destroying mountains with his optic blasts, but since Elixir has healed his brain damage he found he could focus that power into a tight pin-point beam.

This beam could literally cut through Adamentium.

The imposter of Spiderman fell to the floor with his heart missing.

He levitated the corpse above the battle before grabbing it and vanishing back to Hank and the X-Club.

This left Jean to stand helplessly and watch as the battle raged. She then realised that she could at least take out the Skrulls she knew about so she dived in heading straight for the imposter of herself.

"Hank, any progress? We have a huge battle going on and some of the Skrulls are so deep into their covers that even Jean couldn't read them as Skrulls." Scott asked as he appeared with the fake Spiderman corpse.

"We have some, but Scott, you should know, the invasion has begun. I received a distress call from Abigail Brand, Dum Dum Durgan was a Skrull and he blew up SWORD. We rescued the survivors and put them in holding but there is an immense Skrull fleet in orbit and they are already beginning to land."

"Dammit! Where is Harry?" Scott cursed.

"You called?" The aforementioned Master of Magic asked with a grin.

Scott spun around to see Harry Potter standing there in the flesh.

He was then engulfed in a crushing hug. "Damned good to see you again Scotty! It feels like it's been… well it has been centuries." Harry shrugged after he released Scott.

"Hank! Get over here!" Harry called cheerfully.

The Beast was suddenly a little frightened.

"This is the so-called Death?" Dr. Nemesis, the arrogant yet brilliant member of Hank's new X-Club scoffed. "He doesn't look old enough to wipe his own arse!"

Harry scrunched his nose as he examined the man. "Son, you ain't got nothing on me. I'm older, smarter, wiser, stronger, more powerful and most importantly, better looking than you."

He then turned to Hank. "Who is he?"

"Why you-!"

"You remember the group I was looking to form to work on the mutant problem?" Hank prompted as he magically silenced the annoying scientist.

"Oh… right, it's coming back to me. You'll have to forgive me, I spent the past five hundred years living like a Viking!"

"Harry, we have a major problem." Scott interrupted.

"There is always a major problem, Scotty."

"This one involves an armada of Skrulls about to land and destroy or enslave us all."

"Then blast them out of the skies." Harry said with a dismissive wave.

"With what? We don't have ships that can do that. We barely have ships as it is!"

"You have plenty of allies with ships. Why didn't you just call in the Breakworlders?"

"Oh yes." Hank muttered from behind them. "I'll contact Colossus and send him over."

"Let's deal with the more immediate issue." Scott said as he grabbed Harry's shoulder and vanished.

"Shall we get back to work?" Hank asked his fellow X-Clubbers.

"Are you going to remove your charm work Doctor?" Kavita Rao asked as she indicated Dr. Nemesis The geneticist who worked with Ord to create a serum to remove mutant powers had jumped at the chance to work to make up for her past mistakes.

"I believe we have more important things to deal with." Hank purposefully ignored Nemesis as the Doctor glared at him.

"Doctor McCoy, we have a problem." Maddison Jefferies called out. "All our equipment just died."

"Is it a Skrull attack have th-"

"Hold on… it was an attack on Stark Tech only!" Jefferies was surprised as he learnt more as he communicated with the technology around him. "Some sort of virus."

"Looks like we'll be sticking to magic and what we can build ourselves then." Hank sighed.

"Whoa, that's a freaking mess!" Harry whistled as he and Scott hovered above the carnage of the Savage Land Battle Field.

There were several Skrull bodies lying on the floor in the costumes of the heroes they impersonated.

"I can see various souls in the jungle, including Peter and Kazar." Harry told Scott. "By the way, where are the girls?"

"Busy, probably dealing with the Skrull Ships that are about to attack." He replied tersely.

"Would you relax, you have reinforcements on the way. I even put a telepathic call out to Caiera, she's bringing Hulk and his Warbound brethren."

"Harry! Good to have you back, Husband." Brunhilde smiled as she appeared.

"Good to be back. Also good to be on the same page as you." He smirked.

"You are needed for a special mission."

"We've got a situation going on here!" Scott interrupted.

"Which you are more than capable of handling. But the gods of the various pantheons are about to embark on a mission to take out the Skrull god. Harry would be of more use there."

"Can you at least give us a method of determining who is a Skrull and who is not?"

"Erm… not really, but-" Harry suddenly teleported them and they found themselves standing with Spiderman, Kazar and various other Savage Land natives. All of them were surrounding two Captain Americas.

"That one is the Skrull." Harry declared pointing at the one on the left.

"You're back! Thank god!" Spiderman cried.

"I am not a Skrull! He is!" The imposter argued.

"I know you believe that, but I can see your soul. Speaking of which, I now know that several people I met are also Skrulls." Harry mused.

"How come you didn't know this before?" Spiderman asked.

"I'm still relatively new to this universe. I just thought that they were supposed to be that way. Like Spider Woman, she's a Skrull. But you guys were fine with her so I didn't see a need to question it."

"Spider Woman was a Skrull?" Spiderman asked warily.

"She wasn't human."

"A green skinned, wrinkle chinned, rubber headed alien?"

"If that's how you want to describe them then sure… Pink Skin." Harry smirked.

"Oh my god! She knows all our secrets!" Spiderman turned to Captain America. "What are we gonna do?"

"Easy, soldier, we will-"

"I was talking to the real Cap, not you ya imposter." Spiderman snapped at the fake. "Seriously, can't you do something about that?"

Harry rolled his eyes and was about to cast some magic when-

"Harry, wait." Cyclops interrupted. "He might be more useful to Beast in this form. He might be able to get some readings to better determine who the Skrulls are."

Harry just shrugged. "I guess I am off to kill a god then." Harry said as he linked arms with Brunhilde and vanished.

"He says that so casually it's scary." Spiderman grimaced beneath his mask as he sent a stunner at the imposter.

"Death walks among us!"

"You fool! You bring him here?"

"Greetings My Lord."

"I will take no part in this, do not call on me again!"

"SILENCE!" Harry roared over the annoying rantings of the gods of the various pantheons.

There was instant silence.

"Thank you. Now, I was asked to come here as my wife said something about killing the god behind this invasion… someone care to explain?"

A woman in ancient Greek armour stepped forward and kneeled reverently. "Lord Death, I am Athena Parthenos, daughter of Zeus and Goddess of Wisdom and War.

"We have been alerted to the Skrull infiltration and looming war and we realise that we must aid the humans or our own kingdoms will be at risk. We plan to confront the Skrull gods: Sl'gurt and Kly'bn.

"We humbly ask your aid in this matter."

"Whoa, I never thought I'd see the day Athena bowed to anyone!" Amadeus Cho, mortal companion to Hercules muttered.

"Hush Amadeus, Lord Death is no mere god. He is an aspect, he is death and he is the only one who can truly kill a god." Hercules chided.

"What?"

"We gods, though we can be killed, will merely be reborn again at some point. But like any souled being, we fall under the authority of Lord Death, he can erase our souls to the point that we can never rise again."

"Ok, I can see why we want him along." Amadeus nodded with a hint of awe. "And why won't he just kill us all? I mean, he's Death, isn't that what Death does?"

"Have you not been watching your mortal news shows?" Hercules demanded. "He has given many interviews with the lovely maiden Trish Tilby. He has explained that he works to ensure death does not come too soon or too late. He is the balance."

"Well excuse me!" The seventh smartest person on the planet said sarcastically. "I was just a little bit busy trying to gather you lot together to help the Hulk!"

Hercules just snorted. "And a fat lot of good that did, Lord Death dealt with that situation quite admirably. Far better than we could have."

"Are you saying you preferred not having to go toe-to-toe with the bastards who exiled him?"

Hercules shrugged. "I would be lying if I said I found the lack a fight pleasing. But the lack of innocent deaths was worth it."

Amadeus couldn't argue with that.

"If you two are finished, we can begin?" Came the irritated voice if Athena.

Both turned to find the assorted gods and Lord Death staring at them with varying levels of annoyance and amusement.

"Come young Cho, let us talk and see if I will be taking your soul this day." Harry boomed in a god-like manner. When Amadeus paled Harry had to hide his smirk. It was fun to mess with people.

"Lord Odin! We have received a call from Lord Death! He requests our aid in the battle against the alien scum!"

Odin ducked a blow from the butt of a weapon he had only just split in two and rammed the blade of his spear into a second Skrull. He quickly head-butted the Skrull trying to hit him with his broken weapon.

"Are you blind?! We are engaging the enemy!"

"What should I tell Lord Death?"

Odin wanted to smash his head against the wall at the idiocy of some of his people. He settled for head-butting another Skrull.

"Come on Match-Head! We gotta get back, you know Harry's gonna have a whole mess of Skrulls to pound on and I want to get there before the Hulk or Thor turn up!"

"I'm going as fast as I can! You might not remember this but I am not the brains of this outfit." Jonny snapped.

Ben Grimm grabbed his partner by the shoulders and turned him to look in his eyes and said compassionately: "No Johnny. I always remember that."

Johnny glared at him. "Flame on!"

"Are Uncle Ben and Uncle Jonny fighting again?" Valeria Richards, youngest child of Reed and Susan Richards, asked her slightly older brother, Franklin.

"Did they stop?" He asked, genuinely curious.

Valeria just shrugged. "I fixed the Negative Portal. Do you think we should tell them?"

There was a loud smash as the side of the room was torn away revealing the vast emptiness of the Negative Zone beyond. Standing in the opening was Lyja, Johnny Storm's sort of ex-wife and current Skrull invader. She was also the one who had trapped them in the Negative Zone.

"Maybe we should see if Uncle Johnny and Lyja are gonna make Kissy-face?" Valeria said excitedly.

"EWWWW!"

"Husband, we have received a call for aid from Earth." Caiera Oldstrong, wife of The Hulk informed her husband as she teleported to the fields where he worked. She truly enjoyed the gift of magic Harry Potter had given her.

"Who called?" He asked warily. He was still uneasy when it came to dealing with the puny humans. He knew that the future versions of Stark, Strange, Blackbolt and Richards were back on Earth already and Stark was a nightmare already after several months.

"Cyclops. He says Harry has gone on a related mission but that the Skrulls are invading. He offers you the chance to 'hit something'." She quoted with a smirk.

The grin that spread across the Hulk's face was terrifying. "Call forth my Warbound Brethren! We have some Skrulls to smash!"

"Powerlord Colossus, you honour us with your presence!" The now deposed Kruun greeted the armoured mutant.

"I come with a task for your warriors. A fleet of Skrull ships are invading Earth. I trust you are up to the task of showing them how true warriors fight?" Colossus challenged with a slight smile.

The bloodthirsty expression on Kruun's face was all the answer he needed.

"I've got it! I've got it!" Laura screamed excitedly as she ran through the halls of the Greymalkin compound with a large book in her hands.

"Whoa, what you got?" Cessily asked her now substantially older friend as she tried to calm her down.

"The spell to reveal who's a Skrull!" She smiled victoriously.

"Shouldn't you be telling Mister Summers?"

"That's where I was going!"

"When you were in the future doing whatever it was you were doing, did you happen to forget how to do magic?" Cessily frowned.

"Huh?"

Cessily rolled her eyes, grabbed Laura's arm and teleported.

"What are you girls doing here?" Kitty asked as she noticed them.

"Laura says she figured out the spell to reveal the Skrulls."

"Excellent!"

"Well, I didn't figure it out, it was in one of the books Harry conjured for us."

When they had been in the future Harry had started conjuring all the spell books he had memorised in his lifetime. The average witch or wizard had no need for these spells but some spells were ideal for specific situations. Like the spell Laura found.

"Homenum Revelio." Laura said proudly.

"My Latin is a little rusty, but doesn't that mean 'reveal people'?" Scott asked.

"Yes, but Harry told us that some spells are easily modified. The 'revelio' part is what we are looking for, we just need to replace 'homenum' with something like 'Skrull' or alien."

"That's actually one of the first classes he teaches." Cessily nodded.

"Perhaps we ought to attend these classes ourselves?" Emma asked pointedly.

"A topic for later, after we turn back the invasion." Scott said dismissively. "Laura, head to Beast and test this out with the Skrulls we have. If it works begin deploying the information to all known magicals, once we have a decent pool to work with we will send liaisons to all the fighting groups. Army, Navy, Air Force, Avengers, Defenders and so on."

Word spread quickly, as did the magic users with the spells. The Avengers and the Defenders were easily dealt with as most of the Avengers were already magical and Brunhilde was still in touch with the Defenders.

The problem came from the military aspects. No nation's military was trusting of Harry Potter and his claims of being Death. This also made them wary of his offers of magic. Military personnel in general where not fond of magic as standard weaponry relied on basic science and physics.

Magic threw those out the window.

Instead various wizards and witches waited invisibly casting the detection spell and taking pot shots and removing the hidden Skrulls via teleportation.

High in orbit, the leader of the Skrull Armada listened to the report his subordinate was reading.

"Our forces on the eastern continents are proving quite successful, though our infiltrators were quickly discovered. The mutant, Sunfire, seemed to poses an unknown power that allowed them to detect us. The battle could go either way at this point in time."

"This was decreed by the gods, it can only go one way." The Commander chided his aide.

"He loves us." Came the reverent response.

The Commander nodded before returning to business. "What of the African continent?"

"Disturbing news, the entire battalion was wiped out. Most distressing is that security recordings show that they used our own methods of infiltration against us. They disguised two of our agents as the King and Queen, we captured them and tortured them. They died in great agony before the true King and Queen revealed themselves as disguised Skrull agents and killed everyone on board. The ship was set to return to us with a message: 'This is what happens when you invade Wakanda' painted on the walls in Skrull blood."

"The arrogance of these humans." The Commander spat.

"Indeed, but they are spreading out across the continent and our forces are falling swiftly."

"Then prepare to send in a squadron of bombers. We will wipe them out from orbit if need be."

"As you command."

"The Americas, they were deemed to be the greatest threat. How fare our forces there?"

"There is mass confusion."

"Excellent, it will make it-"

"Sir, the confusion is ours. All of our infiltrators have been discovered. Their heads are mounted on the street lights."

"What!? What of the Super Skrulls? The Fantastic Four, are they at least-"

He was interrupted as the whole ship shook and small fires broke out.

"REPORT!" The Commander yelled.

"Commander, a large fleet has appeared off our bow and they are firing on our ships!" Came the reply of a Skrull at a nearby console.

"Then fire back!"

"We are, but our weapons are having no affect. Our energy based weapons seem to be bouncing off their hulls and our projectile weapons are being shot down before they reach the target."

"Then order our ships to ram them!"

When Harry had taken control of Breakworld he found it to be a true dictatorship. There was one ultimate leader and nobody questioned him. That leader was now him.

The beautiful thing about a dictatorship is that the people, or 'sheeple' as his dad often called them, always looked to and obeyed the strongest person without question.

The Breakworld was a warrior culture with strong educational and career institutions. Harry had spent a fair amount of time making magicals out of everyone. It really wasn't a hard process, he would sit down for a day and people would walk up to him and accept his word as law.

The Humans of Earth were stubborn and suspicious so they rarely volunteered.

After the first day he easily had one thousand new magicals. On his second day he began teaching them how to make magicals themselves. Harry's word being law meant that he showed them how, told them to do it and they did.

Humans are greedy beings and rarely do anything for free.

So in the many months since Harry had left the Breakworlders with magic and standing orders to share the magic and learn from the books he had left for them, the entire planet was filled with loyal magical warriors with a strong desire to please their Powerlord Potter.

The smarter individuals learnt the art of arithmancy and runes that led to them improving their own warships. Their fighting methods now included battlefield teleportation and field medics which had their warriors up and fighting before they had lost more than a pint of blood.

So what it all boiled down to when the Breakworld armada appeared off the bows of the invading fleet was:

The Skrulls were boned.

The X-Club were on a mission. Harry had assured Hank that Reed Richards was not a Skrull so they decided to recruit him to the club in order to defeat the Skrulls.

Hank had teleported them all to wherever Reed was. Which appeared to be a Skrull ship.

"They captured Reed Richards?" Maddison Jefferies, AKA Box, said in surprise. "How would they get past all his defences?" The Inorganic Psionic Transmutationist wondered.

"The same way through any man's defences." Kavita snarked. "His pants."

"Wasn't this teleportation of yours supposed to take us straight to Reed." James Bradley asked irritably.

"I believe it has, Doctor Nemesis." The now formerly elderly Doctor Yuriko Takiguchi commented. He was surprised to find his youth restored soon after his brief encounter with Harry Potter. Hank McCoy had just shrugged it off as Harry being Harry.

"Is that some sort of tapestry to depict the Skrull's invasion?" Kavita asked.

"Like the Bayeux Tapestry?" Hank asked. "Oh my!"

"Oh my indeed, Dr. McCoy." Dr. Takiguchi said gravely. "Mr. Maddison, that is Reed Richards, I recommend you use your abilities to get him down quickly."

"Good god! Were they torturing him?" Hank wondered.

They quickly gathered him up and Hank teleported them all to the infirmary where Elixir would be put to use.

As the ship of the gods (or 'Godmobile' as Amadeus had christened it) sailed through the Dreamtime to face the Skrull gods, the crew of deities, boy and coyote sat down to discuss their mission.

"First things first, lets get some information out of this Skrull impersonator." Harry said as he grabbed the coyote pup off the floor from where it sat patiently next to Amadeus.

"Hey! Give him back that's-"

"A Skrull. Trust me, I can see souls and this thing is not a coyote. It's a Skrull impersonating a coyote." Harry said as he began weaving his magic on the imposter.

"Then what happened to my coyote?" The boy genius wondered.

"Probably replaced at some point. Your pup probably died a long time ago." Harry said with a compassionate look.

A few moments later and there was a Skrull before them.

"Ok, anyone here know how to read minds?"

There was a collective shake of the heads.

"I should have brought Jean along." Harry sighed. "Oh… wait!"

Harry suddenly vanished.

"If he can teleport back and forth like that then why can't he just take us straight to our goal?" Amadeus asked.

"Lord Death-"

"Can we not call him that?"

"It is his title child. You would do well to respect one as powerful as he." The Eternal warrior-scholar, Ajax warned.

"You saying he's more powerful than you?"

"Foolish boy!" Amatsu the Demogorge god-eater snarled. "You call yourself a genius yet you don't see what's in front of you! He was invited for a reason! He is the only one who can truly kill a god."

"Then why are the rest of you here?"

"Amadeus, killing a god is no easy thing. Lord Death could do so on his own but the battle could take thousands of years. With our help it could be reduced to hours." Snowbird the Inuit demigoddess and member Canadian superhero team, Alpha Flight, explained.

They were interrupted by Harry reappearing without the Skrull. "Right, took the bastard to Jean, she says he didn't have any useful information for us but he'll be put to use in the battle back home."

"Listen, you can teleport back and forth at will right?" Amadeus challenged.

"Cho!" Hercules hissed angrily.

"Yep. Benefits of being the Master of Magic and Death."

"Then why don't you just come and get the rest of us when you get there and we can stay back home and help with the actual invasion?"

"You dare challenge-"

"DAMMIT!" Harry yelled at the stars.

This caused all the gods, demi-godesses and Eternals to look at Harry in surprise.

"What? He's right! You lot could be much more useful back home. I just need someone to stay here and help be an anchor for teleportation."

"I will stay." Snowbird declared as she stood. "I am the weakest and my abilities of flight and shape-shifting may be of more use to Lord Death."

"The boy should stay." Amatsu argued.

"No, his mind is more useful back home."

"'Tis true. I have seen the whelp take out villains with nothing but a well thrown pebble." Hercules grinned proudly as he smacked the boy on the back causing said boy to go flying across the ship and into the far side rail.

"So it's settled. You lot can head off. Snowbird and I head on and we will get you when we get there." Harry stated firmly. "Amy, you stay put for the moment."

"It's Amadeus." The genius groused as he pried himself off the rail.

Harry ignored him and started grabbing the various gods and vanishing with them.

America had always been the primary target of the Skrulls. It was the home of most of the super heroes, the major military forces and most importantly: Reed Richards and the Fantastic Four.

With this goal in mind the invasion assault forces were backed by a large contingent of Super Skrulls. Skrulls who had been given the powers of various Earth heroes and villains. Each Super Skrull was designed to take out a specific hero or team of heroes.

The one thing they hadn't counted on was the intervention of the Earth gods. They had prepared for Asgard and the Asgardians but not for the most powerful gods of the Greeks and other pantheons. So when Hercules and his little 'god-squad' (again, named by Amadeus) landed in New York and began tearing into the Super Skrulls, the rest of the regular Skrull forces began to falter. No matter how much their commanders were screaming 'He loves you' into their ears.

The humans quickly rallied.

"These foolish mortals think to take away what is rightfully ours!" Amatsu screamed in rage as he tore the limbs from a nearby Skrull.

"Prove them wrong then." Ajax retorted as he dodged and weaved around a Super Skrull.

There was a sudden pinging noise that seemed to echo through the wide streets and off the high-rise buildings on either side. The gods paused as they watched a wave approach them through the sea of Skrulls.

It soon reached them and they realised that the wave was actually row after row of Skrulls collapsing.

"Did they all fall asleep in the middle of battle?" Hercules wondered.

"I do not believe so. It would appear that Lord Death has given your mortal boy an upgrade." Ajax smirked.

True enough, Amadeus Cho could be seen walking on the bodies of the Skrulls towards them.

"That bastard chucked me down here and all he said was magic bounces." Cho growled. "And if he calls me 'Amy' one more time-"

"Complain later boy, you may have thinned the heard, but the bulls are still stomping." Hercules warned as he gestured to the Super Skrulls, many of who where flying above them.

The gods along with Amadeus fought their battle towards Central Park. There they found the bulk of the Skrull forces facing off against the arrayed heroes of Earth.

But they only caught a glimpse as they found themselves teleported back into the Dreamtime to Harry and Snowbird.

"Are you mad? We were about to engage in a glorious battle!" Hercules wailed in despair.

"You still might, remember? We are approaching the palace of the Skrull gods." Harry reminded him.

"What happened to the ship?" Amadeus asked as they floated in the Dreamtime.

"Slight disagreement with some guy named Nightmare and some freaky shape shifting monster."

"Neooqtoq, The Ravager." Snowbird's face was downcast. "I apologise again, I thought it was the only way."

"What?" Cho asked.

"We were a little swamped by demons and the like and Snowbird here decided to turn into some mindless and nigh unstoppable beast: Neooqtoq."

"But you did stop it?"

"Of course! Just had to get her to change back." Harry said slightly offended at being doubted.

"We are here and I can taste the Skrull gods blood already, let us go!" Mikaboshi demanded.

Whilst the war between the gods began, the final confrontation between the humans and Skrulls began. With the invasion attempt on Asgard thwarted, Thor himself was at the forefront of the humans standing proudly at the side of his brothers-in-arms.

But the Skrulls were fanatical. Spurred on by religious fervour and prophecy and the belief that: He loves them.

They fought to the death, willingly sacrificing themselves for their Queen Veranke and their gods. They had spent years infiltrating the humans and putting their plans into place. The Skrull who took over Hank Pym's identity had also prepared a contingency plan. Before parting ways with Pym's wife, Janet Van Dyne, AKA The Wasp, he had given her a method of turning into a giant like himself instead of being limited to just shrinking.

Needless to say it was a trap.

The battle was being won by neither side and someone needed an ace. The Wasp activated the enlarging and she began to grow… and glow.

She began to give off an immense amount of energy.

"Oh god! Janet!" Captain America cried. "Tony, do something!"

Tony's Iron Man Armour was on its last legs. All Stark Technology had been compromised and it had started with his suit. What he was wearing now was something he had managed to cobble together in the Savage Land. It barely had an A.I.

"I can't, my suit is useless." Tony felt helpless.

"Stand back, I will try to contain the energy!" Thor declared.

"I'll try and find the scientists, maybe they can-" Steve had to duck as the Skrulls renewed their assault.

They were now officially on the defensive as Thor was occupied with The Wasp. Whatever the Skrull posing as Hank Pym had given her it was turning her into a MAD weapon, Mutually Assured Destruction.

Everyone with the ability to manipulate power from Dr. Strange to Wiccan tried to help.

But it was too much. Janet tried valiantly to leave the area. To save her friends.

There was only one way to stop the destruction, to eliminate the threat. Thor, the most noble of beings, made the hardest decision and killed the Wasp, Janet Van Dyne, a founding Avenger.

The Skrulls underestimated the nature of humanity. When a friend is struck down like that, they fight back harder they seek out the perpetrator… they seek justice… they Avenge their friend.

One question rang through the minds of the superheroes. Where was Death, where was Harry Potter and why hadn't he saved them.

During the aftermath of the explosion that had occurred during The Wasp's transformation, there was silence. Many Skrulls had died, they were fanatics that would charge into a burning building to kill you just so they could say that it was done by their hand. They cared nothing for their own lives, only for serving their Queen and their gods.

From the rubble emerged a hated figure. Queen Veranke was thought to have been killed when Clint Barton, using the bow and arrows of an injured Kate Bishop of the Young Avengers, managed to hit her. But now she stood before them, she was seriously injured as her jaw was practically hanging off her face and had reverted to her Skrull form unlike the rest of her body.

All the humans saw was the enemy and murderer of a woman they called family.

They charged wanting only her death.

*FZAAAK*

The crowd froze as they were covered in pieces of Skrull Queen brain.

They slowly turned to see Norman Osborne of the Thunderbolts, the former Green Goblin, standing there in his suit and tie holding an enemy weapon. The news helicopters were circling around capturing the moment that he killed the Skrull Queen.

"Thunderbolts, m-make sure none of them weasel away. No loose ends." He ordered, his voice was taunt from emotion. Harry Potter may not have been present at this battle but death had been close for all of them.

And that is how the Skrull invasion ended. The Skrull Queen was taken out not by Captain America, Thor or Iron Man: Not by a hero. She was killed by a former criminal, a man who had murdered without remorse.

The heroes were rallied by Iron Man who ordered them to chase down and bring him prisoners for interrogation.

The hunt lasted for the whole night and there would be various Skrulls popping up in the future who had decided to go underground and hide.

By mid-morning, Death had returned.

*Chapter 22*: Chapter 22  
Chapter 22

"We are pleased to have Harry Potter, and Norman Osborne with us today." Trish informed her viewers. She was not pleased with today's interview as she hadn't had a chance to speak with Harry in the past two days since the Skrull invasion was stopped and she really didn't want to be in the same room as Osborne.

"First of all congratulations to Mr. Osborne on your new appointment as the Director of SHIELD."

"Actually, Miss Tilby, if I may correct you." Norman interrupted with a friendly smile. "The President has decided that SHIELD is no longer viable and it is being replaced with a new, soon to be named organisation that I will lead."

"Oh… I see. But I assume that this new organisation will carry out the same role as SHIELD."

"Absolutely not." Norman said firmly. "SHIELD was all about defending from attack. My organisation will seek out those threats and eliminate them before our good citizens are aware of them. I believe Mr. Stark has shown just how effective the SHIELD strategy was." He laughed.

Trish wanted a shower… badly. "Harry, what are your thoughts on a new organisation?"

"I think that the President has over-stepped his bounds." Harry frowned. "SHIELD is a UN based organisation. Created on an idea by Nick Fury after World War II and has always been a UN entity. The President of the United States doesn't have the authority to disband SHIELD and he definitely doesn't have the authority to fire Tony Stark and appoint his own man as Director."

"I think considering that the United States led the resistance against the Skrulls that gives us some say." Norman sneered.

"'Led the resistance'? How do you figure that one?" Harry scoffed.

"The Skrull Queen was here on our land and the American people, through me, finished her."

"Yes, that would be because King T'Challa and his people cleared up Africa and the combined forces of Europe successfully ousted their would be oppressors. The only difference between you and them is that they were quicker and more efficient." Harry laughed.

Norman scowled. He did not like this upstart child. "Just where were you when we were fighting? Where was Death when the hero and Avenger Janet Van Dyne was murdered by the Skrulls?" He challenged.

Trish was curious about this too.

Harry leaned forward with a smirk and said conspiratorially: "Do you remember what the Skrulls kept saying? They said it before they died, they would taunt us with it. Three words, do you remember?" He asked.

"'He loves you'." Trish muttered with a shudder.

Harry smiled and leaned back. "Yeah, well… he can't love you anymore 'cause 'e's dead!"

"He is? Who is 'he'?" Trish asked.

"The Skrull gods. Kind of a husband and wife deal. They were empowering their people so Athena of Olympus requested my aid and I, along with a team of gods from various pantheons went into the Dreamtime where the Skrull gods resided and killed them."

"You killed a god?" Trish asked slightly pale.

"I am Death." Harry said pointedly.

Norman snorted loudly. He made his views on Harry's claims to be Death completely clear.

"If you are Death then why don't you bring back Janet Van Dyne?" He challenged.

"Do you really hate her that much?" Harry asked with a raised eyebrow.

Norman was taken aback by the question.

"Janet has died. She has passed on over to the next life. It would cruel of me to drag her away from whatever she has been gifted with just because you miss her." Harry scolded mildly. "I rarely talk to my family because it is painful for them to be here. I only do it if need to talk to an emissary from the other side."

"So you really can't bring her back?" Trish asked. Janet was always good for an interview and her fashion designs were to die for!

"I could, but where would it end? I would be asked to bring back Goliath, how about all the loved ones everyone else has lost? Do you know why that is a problem?" He asked rhetorically before he answered himself. "There is a balance. For every person that you want back someone has to die in their stead. So, Norman, are you volunteering?" He asked the new Director of a 'soon to be named' organisation.

There wasn't much someone could say to that. He gave it his best shot. "I have a duty to the American people to fulfil my role as Director."

Seeing that whatever Harry was about to say was not likely to be productive she moved on. "I would like to know if you had anything to do with the lack of damage San Francisco received."

"Now why would you think that?" Harry asked with a cheeky grin.

"Because the statue of Cyclops was seen running through the streets smashing Skrulls and witnesses say they saw entire buildings hit by energy weapons but they didn't suffer more than broken windows." She smiled in amusement.

"Yeah, back home all major statues were enchanted to defend the population whether it be from war, fire, floods, anything that threatened human life. I got the idea from Ghostbusters 2."

"A movie?" She asked with a laugh.

"Film writers have some of the best ideas, they just don't have the necessary abilities to make them a reality so they make films instead."

"But what about the building damage?"

"Runes." Harry stated. "My students have been working through San Francisco to apply a standard set of building protection runes to major buildings like shopping centres, churches, schools, anything that can be used as a meeting point or shelter or is a service for emergencies like police stations and fire stations."

"Can anyone apply these runes?" Trish asked.

"No, you need to be magical to do so." Harry conjured a small book. "This is the instruction manual I give all my students. Even Mayor Sinclair has one, she worked with me and her bodyguards to put them on her home and City Hall. I give a copy to every magical we create so they can protect their own homes. Although they don't protect from everything." He frowned slightly as he thought of the damage done to the Mansion whilst he was in the future with Layla.

As interesting as this was, Norman was annoyed that they were practically ignoring him. Unfortunately for Norman, he was not so smart when he was annoyed.

"Why haven't you made the President a magical then? Or other important members of the government who should have the access to this power?" That sneer was still there on his face and his second in command, Victoria Hand would be laying into him about it afterwards.

"Because it is not a 'power'. The people I give it too understand that this gift is something that is to make life easier, give them more time for the important things in life like family. It isn't a tool to keep the masses in line.

"Every magical I create takes a magical oath to never use their powers hurt the innocent or break a specific set of laws."

"A specific set? Not the laws of the country?" Trish asked.

"Those laws are written by humans. Can you imagine if they had to abide by the laws of America in the 50's? Think of the mass persecution of blacks… what about Jews in 40's Europe?

"The set of laws my family created are based on the simplest laws, the Ten Commandments. Granted we dropped a few but the basics are there. No murder, rape, stealing, vandalism, etc. They can still defend themselves but that's it."

"What about magical soldiers?"

"You have to remember that I had a substantial peace in my world. There was no need for soldiers. Magic is best used for defence under those circumstances anyway."

"But surely there were rebellions?"

"Of course, but those that rebelled by causing vandalism or murder where captured by non-lethal means and brought before a court before being sentenced."

"You mean you executed them." Norman rolled his eyes.

"If they were murderers yes. Vandals were assigned hard labour and their magic removed."

"And this is what you plan for the future of this planet?" Trish asked.

"Yes, unfortunately the way the governments are going at the minute I may have to step up my plans."

"Are you threatening the United States of America, Potter?" Norman growled as he leaned forward.

"Warning, Norman. Just warning." Harry smiled patronisingly.

Harry had a lot of things to do. He had stirred a hornet's nest by pointing out that America was trying to run SHIELD but America was trying to pressure the other countries into turning against him. It didn't help that Emma had confided in him that Norman had recruited her for some sort of cabal.

But Harry had something more important to do. There was something he had learned on his journey into the past, he had children. His first trip was to Asgard, to see his son.

"Father, you found the answers you were looking for." The tall and powerful Asgardian stood impassively as he gazed beyond the borders of the floating city of Asgard in Oklahoma.

"It's not the answers I was looking for that bring me here, son. It's the ones that sprung themselves on me whilst I was there." Harry smiled fondly. "You have grown into quite the man. I am most proud of you."

"I have made my… mistakes, father." His son admitted sadly.

"We all make mistakes, but you learnt from them. You are truly wise as a result."

"I remember your lessons on wisdom."

"Yes, and it's a shame young Thor forgot them for a while."

"He is a good man. A good choice for my sister."

"That is the other reason I have come Heimdall. Where is my daughter, Sif?" Harry asked the omniscient Asgardian.

"She has been hidden from my sight." Heimdall admitted remorsefully. "Lord Thor has searched for her but we could not find her."

"Then let us combine our powers, son. You will do the looking and I will show you what to look for."

"What am I to seek?"

"Her soul."

"He is not happy." Donald Blake frowned as both he and Harry stood over the bed of the elderly woman whose body housed the soul of Harry's daughter, Sif.

"He is going to be utterly pissed when I tell him the rest." Harry growled. "I'll be right back."

As Harry vanished, Dr. Jane Foster, Donald's former nurse and lover returned with a nurse.

"She is far too unstable to move, Don."

"It won't matter Jane. Harry will have healed everyone in this hospital by the time he leaves."

There was a loud crack as Harry reappeared with a tall woman in armour and with a weird long horned hat. The sound of the crack shocked Donald as he felt Thor's own consternation that Harry had made a noise.

"This is more of Loki's meddling?" Donald asked with a scowl.

"Oh yes, I can see his magic all over Sif. I'm surprised none of you noticed that he is in Sif's body." Harry said angrily as he threw the currently female Loki to floor of the hospital room.

"Doctor Potter! You cannot treat people like that! Besides you might disturb the other patients!" Jane said angrily.

"Don't worry Doctor. No one can tell what is going on in this room. We are hidden from sight and we are silenced to them." Harry assured her, though his voice was stony and his eyes never left Loki. "If you will excuse me for a moment, I need to discipline my godson."

Donald winced as Harry stalked over to Loki, he grabbed Jane by the hand and teleported them out of there.

"Tell me Loki, did you really think I wouldn't learn of all your deeds?" Harry asked. "I taught you better than this. Your father taught you better than this!"

"You were the one who taught me to be a trickster!" Loki snarled.

"I never taught you to be mean and cruel. I taught you to bring laughter and joy to others."

"Why should I please others? What of my own desires?" He challenged.

"You are an intelligent man Loki. You remember my lessons on morality. Your father-"

"MY FATHER IS DEAD! MURDERED BY ODIN!" Loki roared.

"Now who told you that?" Harry asked as he leaned back slightly with a quizzical look.

Loki faltered as he realised he had said too much.

"That is my daughter lying there, Loki." Harry said warningly as he pointed at the sleeping old woman. "Do not doubt for a minute that I won't use all my powers to get answers."

"I told myself." Loki spat. "I had Hela send me back in time where I met myself… I instructed myself to trick my father into attacking Asgard, he killed Bor, Odin's father and when Odin Borson killed my father I instructed myself on how to behave so that I would reach this point.

"But you were not in my previous incarnations instructions. I couldn't account for you and it is a puzzle that vexes me!"

Harry smiled, but it was hardly nice. "You forgot the important rule of everything. Everything has a beginning, a starting point or in the case of cycles, a first time through. This is the first cycle of this particular timeline."

Loki felt like kicking himself. "Even the Eternals have a beginning."

"As do the Aspects." Harry agreed as he pointed to himself.

"You have a lot to atone for Loki. Everything has a consequence and you need to face yours. Your father, your real father Odin as opposed to the murderous creature that sired you, Odin loves you. You are his son. You are my godson and I love you. So death is not your punishment."

Harry moved back and held out his hands causing them to glow. Before Loki's eyes Sif's body began to grow from nothing. But this wasn't the Sif he had come to know with the black hair forged by the dwarves after he had cut it off in a fit of pique… no, this was Sif with her original golden hair, the hair of a true Asgardian.

When the body was finished Harry left it standing there naked. He moved to the bed and placed a hand on the old woman's chest and pulled out her soul before moving it gently into the new body.

Harry absently conjured some clothes before he infused magic into the body to start it breathing and the heart pumping.

"Thor!" Sif gasped as she stumbled.

"I see you still have your heart set on the eldest Odinson, my daughter." Harry smirked.

Sif spun around to see Harry standing there. "Daddy!" She squealed as she lept into his arms. "You're back! I've missed you so much!" She declared as tears began to stream down her face.

"I was so scared, Daddy. I could feel Thor was near but he couldn't hear me and Jane Foster, she couldn't understand me."

"I know. Your brother and betrothed were both very distraught that they couldn't find you. I was pretty upset myself when I went to the past and discovered I had a daughter and son I had overlooked in the future."

"Daddy! You know I get a headache whenever you start discussing time travel." She sighed in exasperation.

Loki couldn't help but chuckle at the sight of the fierce female warrior reduced to a little girl in the arms of her father.

"Loki! Is this your doing?" Sif demanded as she released Harry.

"I understand he has taken the role of trickster and mischief maker in my absence."

"Bah! He is nothing like you. You brought laughter to the city of Asgard, Loki brings only chaos and destruction, sadness and heartbreak." She said angrily.

"So I hear, it seems he learnt nothing from his childhood. Odin thought of you as a son. Thor thought of you as a brother. You squandered everything you were given and tried to ruin what everyone else had. Well you can have another shot at learning again."

Loki looked worried. Harry Potter was a loving godfather, he would freely admit, but he had a sense of humour when applying punishment.

"You stole my daughters body so you shall remain female. Furthermore, you will live out your childhood again. It seems that Odin, Frigga and I have failed in your upbringing so we will try again. When you have learnt to be a productive and useful member of society then I will allow you to remember what your life was like prior to this point in time… but hopefully you won't want to remember."

Harry raised his hands over Loki, bathing him in a green light. Sif stood back and watched as Loki de-aged to a little girl of only one year old.

"Daddy!" Sif whined. "Now we have to change his nappies! It took him three years to potty train him the first time round."

"That was hardly his fault. His people were literally savages. Loki would have been killed off by his birth father within two years of his father dying if Odin hadn't rescued him."

"She is cute." Sif conceded as she picked the baby girl with jet-black hair up. "Is Loki aware of what is going on?"

"No, she's just a little girl. I will take her to Odin and explain the situation. We will tell her the truth about why I made her a little girl. You can't learn from your mistakes if you don't know what they are."

"Kid, you need to see this." Logan growled angrily as he stomped into the infirmary brandishing a USB drive.

Harry quickly joined him as Logan loaded up a video on a near by computer. They watched angrily as they saw the hero Tigra being mercilessly beaten and her family threatened by a gang of criminals.

"Logan, you know this girl?"

"Tigra, good girl. Part of the Avengers Initiative. Does not deserve this." He grunted.

"Grab her and bring her straight here. Then go and get Scott and get her family and bring them here as well, don't take no for an answer." Harry ordered.

Two seconds later the badly beaten Tigra was lying on Harry's medical bed.

"Where am I?" She demanded as she tried to get up.

"Easy, you are at the X-Men's Greymalkin facility in San Francisco. I'm Doctor Harry Potter, Logan found a video of you being beaten and I ordered him to bring you here, he is currently retrieving your family. Now lie back down so I can fix you up."

"You're the guy from the TV, Death?"

"I am."

"If this is the X-Men facility, where's Hank McCoy?"

"One second." Harry put out a mental call and Hank teleported in.

"Stars and garters! Greer, what happened to you?" Hank demanded as he moved forward and began checking her injuries.

"Where's your baby?" Harry asked suddenly.

Tigra, AKA Greer Grant-Nelson, looked at Harry with an angry expression. "How do you know about that?"

"I can see the evidence on your body that you gave birth recently. Although, you have a mostly feline system. You were changed by magic and science, right?"

"I was."

"Let's get back to the baby!" Hank interrupted. "Is it safe?"

"He's with my mother."

"Don't worry, I sent Logan and Scott to pick her family up."

"Good. Now who the devil did this to you?" Hank demanded as he began healing what he could with Harry taking up the slack.

"Didn't you already see?" She spat hatefully at Harry.

"I saw who did this, but I don't know who they are."

"Bastards called the Hood." Logan announced as he entered the infirmary with Greer's mother and son. "He's attacked our Avengers a few times."

"The Hood? I've heard of him."

"Guy uses some sort of magic but I can't get a handle on him. He can go invisible though."

"HARRY! HELP!"

Everyone turned to see a distraught Ororo holding a badly burned and damaged body of her husband T'Challa.

"Good god what is wrong with the world today?" Harry scowled. He quickly had T'Challa on the bed as one of his female bodyguards arrived.

"Hey, get back in there! I ain't done with you yet." Harry ordered thin air.

"…"

"Nobody is messing with souls other than me. If you don't have my permission to take souls you can deal with me, and you sir, do not have permission to crossover!"

"Husband! Just do as the man says, we need you! I need you!" Ororo pleaded.

"You can see him your majesty?" The bodyguard asked.

"Nah, but she knows who I am talking to." Harry explained as Hank comforted the weather mutant.

Harry moved back to the body and began healing it. "Happens every time. People think they can argue with me, Death, but the second the missus enters the fray they capitulate." He muttered in annoyance.

"Harry, I've got Pepper Potts up here, she says it's urgent." Lorna's sounded in his head.

Harry sighed. "Of course it is."

"Problem Harry?" Hank asked.

"Yeah, you might want to call Josh down to help out. I've got someone else with an emergency upstairs."

"Miss Potts, what trouble has Tony gotten into this time?" Harry asked with a wry smile as he appeared on the roof of the building.

Pepper was standing there in a suit of armour similar to Tony's but clearly designed for a woman.

Pepper returned the smile sadly. "Osborn demanded that Tony hand over the names and identities of the people who signed the registration act. Tony deleted the hard drives but he has one last copy he is trying to destroy."

"Suicide?"

Pepper nodded. "He says he is trying to delete it but he has to do it bit by bit. By the time he is finished he will be a vegetable."

"Uncle Harry! Uncle Harry!"

Uncle Harry wanted to cry as Franklin and Valeria Richards teleported in front of him.

"Franklin, Valeria, problem?"

"This mean man with an icky haircut tried to break into our home!" Valeria scowled cutely.

"We drove him off!" Franklin declared proudly.

"Did Mr. Icky-Haircut have a name?" He asked as Lorna and Pepper giggled at the scene.

"Norman Osborn." Valeria told him. "He said he had a court order."

"And where are Mummy, Daddy and your uncles?"

Both children shared a look before shrugging.

"Ok, you two go with Aunt Lorna. Lorna, grab the girls and spend some time at the Baxter Building. I need to deal with Tony."

"Come on kids, sleep over at your house!" Lorna said happily.

"Yay! Can we stay up late and watch movies."

"Absolutely!"

"I haven't spent much time with the X-Men, but they seem a little more eccentric than I would have thought." Pepper mused.

"That's my fault." Harry admitted. "Several of the girls bonded their souls to me and my craziness leaked over. Dani is practically certifiable." He grinned.

"Tony… why?" Harry asked pleadingly. He couldn't believe the idiot was going to commit suicide like this just to spite Norman Osborn.

"It's the only way to protect the other heroes. Who knows what Osborn would do if he got his hands on the database. Spiderman is his arch-nemesis, Peter would be dead within minutes!" Tony explained as he continued working on an older model of the Iron Man armour.

"I can think of plenty other ways, better ways even." Harry said as he began healing all the damage Tony had done to himself. "By the way, if you can deal with the virus in your tech your Extremis armour should work now."

"Are you nuts? If Norman gets me-"

"Then he will be in violation of various international laws! You are still the Director of SHIELD until the UN says otherwise. In the meantime you can stay at the X-Men compound until this blows over. I will also be putting some protections on the knowledge in your head so you can't go blabbing people's secret identities."

Tony wasn't all that fond of Harry Potter but after nearly two years he had to admit he didn't seem to have any ill intent to the planet or its citizens.

"What about the risk I will be putting the X-Men and their students in?"

"Nobody is going to know you are there. You will be perfectly hidden."

"You should probably know about the mission I sent Maria Hill on then."

Harry just rolled his eyes.

The following day Norman Osborn arrived at the Baxter Building in a van with a squad of HAMMER agents.

"Listen up! I have an order straight from the courts that the Fantastic Four are in violation of the Avengers Initiative. We are here today to shut them down.

"We are expecting resistance.

"Now who's ready to go shoot up some superheroes?"

The agents stormed out of the van smashing through the glass doors of the entranceway sending glass everywhere.

The blonde sitting at the receptionist's desk suddenly found herself with six energy weapons pointed in her face.

"Pull up the floor plan. Now!" The lead agent ordered.

"Do you have an appointment?" She asked calmly.

"Lady, do we look like we have an appointment?"

"Not really, which means I much more inclined to leave you standing out here. I have called the police though as the Baxter Building will be charging you with vandalism. Those doors weren't locked."

"Lady, unless you want to have your cute ass thrown in a deep dark hole I suggest you-"

"Who are you?"

"Wha- We're HAMMER agents!"

"What are HAMMER agents?"

"Don't you watch the news?"

"Agent! What's the hold up?" Norman demanded as he marched through the debris that was once the entranceway.

"This bitch is refusing to cooperate."

"Stand aside men, I'll handle this." Norman ordered. "Young lady, do you know who I am?" He asked with a genial smile.

"Of course. You're Norman Osborn, AKA the Green Goblin. A well known murderer and terrorist and all round super-villain." She stated calmly.

A tinge of green and red hit Norman's cheeks as his anger flared. "I am currently the Director of HAMMER, the governments replacement for SHIELD. We are here to talk with Reed Richards and the Fantastic Four."

"Then why didn't you make an appointment?" She asked with a curious frown.

"I have a court order."

"May I see it?"

Norman handed the papers over which she looked through. "Although these seem to be official, I can see nothing in here that couldn't have been discussed through an appointment. I especially see nothing in here authorising blatant vandalism."

"Young lady, I don't tell you how to do your job, don't tell me how to do mine." Norman sneered. "Now give us directions to the elevator that will take us to the residence of the Fantastic Four!"

"You just told me how to do my job." She smirked. "The Fantastic Four are not currently home, we do not know when they are due back. I suggest you return at a later date."

"You couldn't have just told us that in the first place?" Norman demanded angrily.

"Couldn't you have just made an appointment?" She asked sweetly.

"What's your name?"

"None of your business." She maintained her pleasant demeanour.

"I beg to differ."

"Please… don't beg, it demeans us both." She said pityingly.

"You have made a big mistake girl."

"Not as big as yours."

Norman decided to cut his losses. He couldn't seem to win.

"Move out men, we'll come back later. We'll bring a god damned canon if we have to!" Norman ordered as he began marching back out of the building.

"That does it! Next time I get to play with the bad guy!"

Amara turned in her seat and smiled at her friend. "You'll have to fight for it."

"Bring it on girl!" Dani challenged with a grin. "Trish is going to go ballistic when she sees this!" She said as she removed the disillusionment spell on the camera that had been placed behind Amara at the receptionist's desk.

"Come on, let's get upstairs and see what the others have discovered."

"It seems Reed was doing an experiment and he may have thrown the others into some sort of dimensional rollercoaster." Lorna explained.

"That's not what I said!" Valeria pouted.

"No sweetie, but that's about as good as we dumbies can understand." Dani smiled as she picked the girl up.

"Big baby."

"Franklin." Amara said warningly.

"Alicia Masters just called, she is on her way." Laura announced as she and the Cuckoos entered the living room.

"Well they aren't staying here. Leave a note on Reed's lab door and we will take them all back to the compound." Lorna said decisively.

"I have to go and give this recording to Trish." Dani stated before vanishing.

"I need to meet Jennifer, we need to draft an injunction and charges against Osborn." Amara explained as she vanished to meet up with the She Hulk.

With Jennifer Walters disbarred, there was no one to stand up for the super humans. Following a successful attempt to transfer medical knowledge to Josh from Hank McCoy by the Cuckoos, the same was done for Amara so she could take up the cases. Jennifer acted as her assistant whilst her friend Jazinda, a Skrull she knew from before the invasion, acted as a bodyguard.

They were looking for more volunteers as it seemed that Amara was about to be over worked. The last thing she needed was to be so over worked she wouldn't be able to have fun making the lives of villains hard… like today with Osborn.

*Chapter 23*: Chapter 23  
Chapter 23

"Harry I think we have a problem."

"God this day couldn't possibly get any worse!"

"Harry you idiot! Why would you tempt Murphy?" Jean demanded as she whacked him round the back of the head. "What's wrong, Sadie?" She asked the mayor of San Francisco.

"You don't know?" Sadie asked taken aback. "It's all over the news! Mutant news… that fool Trask is leading a march from Washington down to San Francisco, City Hall."

"Can't we deny him access to the city?" Jean asked. "It's a power keg waiting to go off."

"That's not the worst part, the bastard is lobbying for legislation on mutant reproduction."

"Wow… I might just kill him on principal." Harry mused.

"Not if I get to him first." Logan growled.

"Please, just try and keep the mutant citizens peaceful and out of the way, I will do everything I can to put a stop to this." Sadie pleaded with Scott.

"Sadie, I'm not the mayor of mutants." Scott warned her. "Sure they look up to me but I have no legal hold over what they do."

"I'll have Amara and Jennifer get to work on the paper work for an injunction." Jean sighed as she teleported out.

"I doubt it will work." Sadie said sadly.

"We can have them charged with inciting racial hatred and violence." Harry shrugged.

"Harry, half of congress is behind Trask." Sadie explained.

"Better call up the world press then. Need to make sure we document this."

Fortunately for Harry there was no more excitement that day. The following day was another story.

Tony Stark came running up to him. "Harry, I have a friend-"

"Name and location."

"You don't want to know the details?"

"You can tell me en route."

James 'Rhodey' Rhodes no longer considered himself a human anymore. He was just a cybernetic soldier. He was living on borrowed time… not that he actually considered it living either.

Glenda Sondaval, Rhodey's childhood friend had been captured, tortured, raped and experimented on by a mercenary group called Eaglestar International in Aquira. Her estranged husband Parnell Jacobs, a former weapons dealer and now Rhodey's technical back up was on board an orbiting satellite freaking out at the state of his wife and how she had been treated.

Rhodey may not like the man all that much but he had to admit he respected that he still cared for Glenda.

Now he had two problems. One: Glenda was trapped in a box that was rigged to explode if tampered with whilst she slowly died. Two: The God of War had decided to face him.

He had no choice but to leave Glenda in the hands of Lieutenant Jake Oh and hope the man didn't do anything that made Rhodey want to kill him.

"Hold on Miss Sandoval, they're working on the codes now, we'll have you out soon." Jake said soothingly. He was barely keeping it together. He had joined Eaglestar in the hopes of helping people whilst earning money to send back home. The atrocities he knew had been committed on the woman trapped and dying inside the metal cargo container next to him were enough to make him defect to somewhere more civilised. Like North Korea.

"Just make sure that Rhodey doesn't kill them. He's a hero. He can't lose that." Glenda said weakly.

"What's your name kid?"

Jake span around to see an average height white male with black hair and green eyes standing in front of him.

"Who are you?" He demanded as he snapped his weapon up.

"Don't you watch the news?"

Jake felt his blood run cold. "Death!" He whispered.

"Relax, I'm not here for you or the lady in the box. Well, I am here for the lady." Harry corrected. "But only as a Doctor. Wait right here."

Harry proceeded to walk straight through Jake and through the cargo containers metal walls. Truth be told, Harry just enjoyed creeping people out by walking through them. Much to Emma's annoyance he and Kitty would walk through the busy halls between class changes whilst phased just to watch people's reactions. Of course Harry also used it to remind them to practice.

Mere seconds passed before Harry walked back out. "Miss Sandoval is safe. What are your plans, Lieutenant?"

"I've made my intentions clear, sir. I'm not leaving Miss Sandoval's side." Jake said firmly, despite his desire to piss his pants.

"Oops, I kinda screwed that one up for you." Harry said sheepishly.

Jake frowned but didn't have time for much else before Harry waved a hand teleporting him away.

Harry looked out on to the desert plains where the debris of numerous tanks and artillery lay having come face to face with James Rhodes aka War Machine and been found lacking. The humans were fleeing under the onslaught of blows between War Machine and Ares, the God of War.

It was about time Harry stepped up.

Now you couldn't just walk up to two individuals like Ares The God of War or The War Machine and ask them to politely stop… you could but you would likely wind up a stain on one of their boots.

Harry needed to actually get their attention and assert some authority.

Nothing says 'Listen up bitches!' like a multi-storey dragon.

"ENOUGH!" Harry roared as he landed heavily enough to shake the ground and cause the two warriors to stumble.

"Lord Death, this is my domain! There is no reason for you to be here." Ares was irritated by the interruption but knew better than to be disrespectful to the only being capable of killing him and making it stick.

"I have no intention of interfering with your duties as a god of war, Ares." Harry informed him, though he maintained his dragon form. "Though I advise you to be careful where you set your sights. Earth will soon be a world of peace and the only wars for you to fight will be with those who seek to break that peace from beyond the stars."

"Then you wouldn't deny me rights whilst I might still enjoy them."

"Of course not. But fighting with your Champion whilst he tries to do what you want is just ridiculous." Harry decided to revert to human form and he strolled calmly up to War Machine.

"I am not his Champion." Rhodey spat.

"Sorry to break it to you kid, but your are. Gods don't usually give their Champions much choice in the matter, they just pick the guys and gals who are already doing what they need and then empower them."

"'Tis true. You are the embodiment of a Champion of War, it is what drew me to you." Ares grinned.

"Then try talking to the boy!" Harry admonished the hulking Greek god.

"I am a fighter! A warrior! Words would not tell me-"

"Hold it right there!" Harry interrupted. "Now I know you weren't about to imply that a true general wouldn't use his brain to strategise and his words to rally his troops."

Ares' shoulders slumped. "I concede your point, Lord Death."

"Good, now help me get this ridiculous armour off our man here so I can heal him."

There was a sudden snap and crackle of energy and Harry found himself with a primed energy weapon up his nose. Literally.

"The armour stays." Came the firm and steady voice of War Machine.

"You would do well to stand down, Champion. Lord Death means you no harm, had he wanted you dead or-"

Ares stopped when War Machine suddenly collapsed.

"I did not think he would be so reasonable." Ares remarked in surprise.

"He wasn't, I just overloaded his systems and shut him down." Harry grinned. "But thanks for the assist."

"I thought you were unable to work with the mortals technology."

"People always seem to overlook the fact that I come from a world that was significantly older than this one. The technology we developed was beyond much of what people have here."

Ares tilted his head and then suddenly began laughing as he removed an earpiece and crushed it between his fingers.

"Something funny?" Harry inquired with a smile.

"Osborn is not pleased that you have taken the girl and my Champion. He is demanding that I bring you in."

"Tony tried that once."

"I know! I saw the news report. Most entertaining. Osborn is a foolish mortal, he believes you are nothing more than a god like myself. I have tried explaining it to him but his mortal mind cannot hope to comprehend."

"Just how much detail did you go into?" Harry asked warily.

Ares just grinned.

"Seriously!? Do you not remember what happened when your dad, Odin and I got together to discuss this sort of thing?"

"Aye! I also remember the state my sister Athena was in after she went to fetch my father." He laughed. "Very few can claim to have broken the Goddess of Wisdom."

"Ah, so you are trying to kill Norman Osborn."

"Not all wars are fought with physical weapons." Ares pointed out.

"Why are you fighting for Osborn? If you want wars and battles there are plenty of better options and much more righteous ones in the world." Harry asked.

"The Avengers, whilst being noble warriors, do not truly have the heart for battle. I grew weary of staying my hand from the killing blow only to have to face the villain again months later. Osborn at least offers the chance to battle to the end." Ares explained as he visibly sagged.

"You do realise that the bastard is working the bad guys?" Harry asked.

"Of course! The current team he has is made up of nothing more than murderers, thieves and rapists! But whilst Osborn is in charge there is a chance they will be kept in line."

"No, I meant that every time a crook or villain is captured he has them released before the end of the following day." Harry explained slowly.

"You jest?"

"I really don't. Look up a list of all criminals arrested over the past week and then try and find out where they are now. And don't rely on any reports from Osborn."

"Excuse me, Lord Death. I have some investigating to do." Ares said with a slight bow as he turned and walked away with his shoulders firmly set.

Harry returned to his infirmary to find the place in an uproar. Tony was by one bed with Pepper and Jean trying to calm down Rhodey who was pretty much just a cyborg torso with no limbs. Glenda was trying to fight Hank and get out of bed to help Tony and Pepper.

Josh was standing in the corner not sure what to do.

Harry walked up to Josh and decided to turn this into a teaching situation.

"Josh, first rule of your infirmary: It's yours, always stay in command. Observe." Harry stepped forward slightly. "SILENCE!" He roared. "This is a place of healing! You will keep your voices down and patients will remain in their beds!"

"We are trying to achieve that, Harry." Hank sighed. He had given up trying to reason with Glenda and reverted to his feline form. He was currently holding her in place casually with one big meaty blue paw.

"Rhodey thinks we are betraying him, he wants to leave but he won't let anyone heal him." Pepper explained.

"Fine. You-" He pointed at Rhodey. "-stay put we will discuss your situation in a minute."

He moved over to Glenda. "You all healed up?"

"I'm fine. Dr. McCoy and his apprentice have completely healed me and I am ready to go. Just give me a gun and take me back so I can kill the bastard who did this to me."

"I must disagree with Dr. Sandoval, Harry. We have stabilised her but aside from the horrific atrocities committed on her body, she will need counselling. Furthermore she was experimented on and we were unable to undo much of the damage at the genetic level."

"Is she going to drop dead in the next few hours?"

"No, we can continue to keep her alive and relatively healthy indefinitely, but she will need daily treatments."

"Arrange counselling sessions-"

"I don't need cou-"

"Then I'm sure the counsellor will agree with you. But this is mandatory, you won't be confined to anywhere and you can commute to the appointments if you want." Harry assured her. "In the meantime, Hank take her to her home and find some clean DNA. I can build her a new body and fix the problems that way."

"Come along Doctor, you heard the Almighty Spectre of Death." Hank instructed with mild patronisation.

"Mr. Rhodes- what the hell?" Harry asked blithely as he left Glenda in the care of Hank. He still hadn't reverted to his human form so he was probably worried she'd try and do a runner.

"I was there for a reason! Those bastards need to be taken down, I was close to getting proof of what they were doing and the names of those behind it!"

"You really think I'm going to let them get away?" Harry asked. "You'll be back out there soon enough, but you will do it with proper backup."

"I work best alone."

"Tough. The world is changing and you can either step up and make sure it goes smoothly and no one who doesn't deserve it gets hurt or you cause a fuss, get in the way and face my wrath."

"The world won't just-"

He was interrupted by Pepper grabbing his face and forcing him to look at her.

"Rhodey, Harry is not the bad guy. He's the only one helping us. He's never changed his stance and never done anything to hurt anyone who wasn't hurting anyone else."

Rhodey didn't seem convinced.

"Kid, you called?" Logan asked as he teleported in at Harry's mental call.

"Yeah, when I'm finished with Rhodey take him on a few missions with your squad."

"My squad?" Logan asked carefully.

Harry looked him in the eye and nodded. "Full access. Make him a satellite member but bear in mind Ares has chosen him as his Champion."

"If you say so." He sighed.

"Hold still Mr. Rhodes, I'm about to give you back your limbs."

"Pepper, you may not want to be here for this part." Logan warned.

"I'm not squeamish."

"Think about how many 'limbs' Rhodey lost."

Pepper blushed before making her excuses and leaving quickly.

"Should I be leaving too?" Tony asked worriedly.

"HARRY! THERE'S AN EVIL, MURDEROUS, TORTURING, TERRORIST, SUPERVILLAIN AT THE DOOR!" Dani yelled from upstairs at the main entrance. Using a sonorous… and the intercom.

"IS IT NORMAN OSBORN?" Came the reply in kind.

"YES!"

Said super-villain was fuming as he had turned up with his 'Avengers' and a news crew. He did not need this little bitch and her friend making such outrageous claims – he was reformed dammit!

Well… that's what his press release said.

"BE UP IN TWENTY!"

Norman pushed Dani out of the way and hit the intercom button. "This is official business Mr. Potter. We are not going to wait for you."

"Then make an appointment. *Crackle pfffht*"

"Listen-"

"He just blasted the intercom. He can't hear you. Forge is gonna be pissed!" Dani grinned.

"We have a court order compelling Potter to come with us. We also have a court order demanding that you hand over Franklin and Valeria Richards." Norman declared as he handed the paperwork over.

"One second, I need to call in our legal council."

A second later Amara arrived. "Dani I am very busy. I have a meeting in twenty minutes." She said testily.

"This loser wants Harry and the Richards kids." She jerked a thumb over her shoulder.

"Well I can't speak for Harry but-"

"You! You were the receptionist at the Baxter Building!" Norman snarled in realisation.

"I wasn't the receptionist." Amara said calmly.

"You were there!"

"Yes. But I wasn't the receptionist. I am legal council for the Richards family and the Fantastic Four. You were the one who came in and shoved weapons in my face making assumptions.

"Now, as I said, I can't speak for Harry but the Richards children are currently unavailable and this piece of paper won't help you one bit."

"You are refusing to cooperate?" Norman had an eager glint in his eye.

Amara just smiled wryly. "If you like I will be happy to tell you exactly where they are."

Norman didn't really want her to tell him. Not before he had a chance to make her suffer. But he had the news crew with him to make him look good.

"Very well, where are they?"

"In Wakanda with their Aunt Ororo and Uncle T'Challa. I recommend you don't disturb them though as the last I heard, T'Challa was planning on ripping out your heart for your part in setting up the ambush in which Doctor Doom nearly killed him.

"Of course this was all reliant on him getting to you before his wife did. I can't tell you what she planned though as it's not really fit for television."

"Very well, it seems the poor children are beyond my help for now. I will just have to appeal to the UN and international courts for their safety.

"Now if you will step out of the way we have business with Harry Potter."

Amara raised a hand pushing Norman back firmly. "I'm sorry, this is private property. Your court order does not give you the right to enter the building."

"It gives us the right to enter Mr. Potter's building of residence to apprehend him."

"Well there's your first problem." Dani snorted.

"Miss, you would be doing yourself a favour by leaving this to professionals."

"Danielle Moonstar is a member of the bar. As such, she is a professional and your tone is insulting. Especially as you do not have a law degree."

Amara gave Dani a nod so she continued. "First of all, it's 'Doctor' Potter. Not 'Mr'. Secondly, this isn't his place of residence."

"Then you are required to inform us where he lives."

"Wakanda, Atlantis, Breakworld, Sakaara, the Savage Land. Those are my favourites." Harry answered as he walked over. "I am currently investigating the various Skrull territories I conquered as well."

"You conquered the Skrulls?" The Cameraman accidentally asked in awe. The look from Norman promised a painful end to his day.

"Well, they tried to conquer us so it seemed only fair to return the gesture. Granted I was more successful but then again, I have actual allies."

"Mr. Potter-"

"Doctor." Amara corrected.

"Mr. Potter, you will surrender yourself to the HAMMER on behalf of the United States of America."

"On what grounds and charges?" Harry asked.

"Theft, terrorism-"

"You have proof and details of these accusations?" Amara interrupted.

"He stole a Hellicarrier. He stranded the agents on board on the island of Kaua'l."

"First of all, the island was populated, I even pointed them in the direction of the nearest airport only ten miles away. Secondly, I didn't 'steal' the hellicarrier." He vanished before returning a few moments later with a few pieces of paper.

"Here." He handed the corn-row haired monster sheaf of official looking paper.

Norman flicked through them, his eyebrows knitting together in agitation and confusion. "You seriously expect me to believe you bought a hellicarrier."

"Of course not! I bought SHIELD." Harry smiled.

"Whoa… how rich are you?" The imposter Avenger 'Ms. Marvel' gasped.

"I own entire solar systems, so… extremely."

"The United States does not recognise this upstart organisation." Norman spat. "Those hellicarriers were SHIELD property and I was appointed the Director of SHIELD. You will hand them over now."

"Actually, you were appointed the Director of HAMMER. An organisation created by the United States when they lost faith in the Director they appointed, Tony Stark. The UN didn't take kindly to the unilateral and un-democratic actions of the United States and when I offered to buy up SHIELD and all it's resources they agreed to appoint me the Director of SHIELD as well.

"They got their world peace keeping force without paying a penny."

Amara was rolling her eyes at the exceptionally smug attitude Harry was exuding. Dani was loving every second her lover made the bastard look bad.

"Before we go on, are we live?" Harry asked the cameraman.

He got a nervous thumbs up.

"Excellent." Harry hissed as he steepled his fingers. "Make sure your producers read this. Dani, hold this up to the camera."

Dani looked at him curiously but complied. She started laughing when she briefly glimpsed what was on it.

"I will need to see those first." Norman tried to intercept Dani but she just phased causing him to stumble through her.

"Those are private documents." Harry told him. "I will tell you what they say though. They simply say I own the camera, the cameraman's job, his boss' jobs, the studio, the vans… well… the whole damn station.

"I did mention I was extremely rich."

"Osborn! You are encroaching on Wakandan territory!"

They all spun to see a very angry King T'Challa arm in arm with his wife. Running happily into the arms of Harry were Franklin and Valeria.

"You were late!" Valeria admonished with a pout.

"I'm sorry, you remember Mr. Osborn?"

"Big poopy-head." Valeria muttered.

"Want me to run this varmin' outta town?" Franklin drawled as he raised the brim of his cowboy hat with his toy gun.

"Well, we're going to give him a chance to do the right thing first." Harry informed him.

"Ah, King T'Challa, the United States Government thanks you for turning over the Richards children." Norman smiled genially.

T'Challa raised an eyebrow. "Hand them over? To you? These children are wards of Wakanda until their parents return and are retrieved by them. You will not touch them. As I said, you are standing on Wakandan soil. Wakanda has declared you a terrorist and an enemy guilty of Regicide."

"This is not a Wakandan Embassy, so I am afraid that doesn't count."

"This is a residence of the Queen of Wakanda. As such it is decreed an embassy of Wakanda. You now have ten seconds to vacate the premises before I exercise my rights and kill you were you stand."

There was a snap and crackle and they turned to see Ororo standing there with lightning dancing between her fingertips.

"Nine seconds…"

Norman cleared his throat. "We-"

"Seven seconds…"

There was a hiss and snap as Harry conjured a lightsabre and handed it to T'Challa.

"Five seconds…"

Norma realised they were waiting actual seconds and not just counting numbers. He quickly turned and walked out. He didn't know if they would actually kill him but he didn't want to pit his Avengers against Potter – yet.

T'Challa handed the lightsabre back to Harry. "Thank you. I may ask to borrow it at a later date." He said as he glared at the now closed door.

"Any time. In fact, keep this one. I can always conjure others." Harry said as he handed it over again.

"This is really an Embassy of Wakanda?" Dani asked.

"It is, so long as Ororo or myself or any member of government or the royal family is in residence then it is Wakandan territory." T'Challa smiled.

"I actually feel much happier knowing I am not technically in America." Amara drawled.

"I dunno. Seems cool to me." Dani giggled as she walked up to the open door and began hopping inside and out side of the doorway. "See, America, Wakanda, America, Wakanda, Amer-"

"Dani, Harry did an impression of Mr. Burns about five minutes ago, you do remember what happened to Homer when he tried that?" Amara sighed.

"Yes, but there are no Marines outside the door."

Amara looked at T'Challa hopefully.

"It's annoying but… I spent a fair amount of time working with Spiderman." He shrugged.

"Rhodey, how do you like the operation?"

"It's SHIELD."

"Well, yes. But how do you like it?" Harry repeated as he joined the fully healed War Machine on the deck of the flying hellicarrier.

"I haven't seen Fury, Hill or Stark yet so that's a bonus."

"Isn't Tony your best friend?"

"Doesn't mean he makes a good SHIELD Director." Rhodey countered.

"Yeah, one of the ground rules I set for him was no more politics. It makes him nuts."

"What do you have him doing?" Rhodey asked curiously.

"He is the first line of law enforcement for super humans who go bad. He has the identities and details of all the registered super heroes in his head, he was trying to delete it by killing himself so Osborn couldn't get it but I just put some defences in his mind. Now he can't tell anyone unless I let him."

"And what do you expect me to do?"

"Same as you were doing. But if you go after hardcore evil guys try and bring them in alive. You can kill them but I can annihilate them from existence."

"What does that mean?"

"It means that they won't be a threat to whatever awaits them on the other side."

"And I answer to you?"

"Technically you answer to SHIELD. Steve Rogers will be your direct superior but I own the whole organisation."

"Are we still under a UN mandate?"

"Sort of. We are endorsed by the UN but we have our own rules."

"Anything you got planned that the UN won't like?"

"Kill Doom and conquer Latveria." Harry said firmly.

"You do realise that doing that is what got Fury canned?"

"Fury is the one planning it. He may not be in charge but he's willing to play ball."

"And the fact that he is probably putting in place a ton of contingency plans to take you out if he deems you a threat doesn't bother you?"

"Nah, he reminds me of one of my first teachers. Paranoid bastard. Was good friends with my dad. If you want to piss Fury off just walk into a room with him and yell 'Constant Vigilance!'"

"You really are nuts aren't you?"

"Does that mean you'll take the job?"

Rhodey looked at the grinning loon and decided he might as well go for it. He might be nuts but he did manage to get Ares to tone it down.

*Chapter 24*: Chapter 24  
Chapter 24

"Good Morning San Francisco. Most of you should recognise me as Harry Potter, I've been working in your city for several months now and have met quite a few of you."

Harry sat in front of the television cameras alone. It was the first time he had done this in this world and he hoped it went over well.

"If you have been following the news then you know that Simon Trask is leading a group of hate-filled, genocidal fools through America to march on San Francisco's city hall.

"Mayor Sinclair and a team of legal experts have tried to stop this but the countries highest judges are part of the movement.

"We can all agree that this atrocity should not be allowed to happen. These fools need us to be present and outraged for their march to be effective. So I say we slap them in the face and not turn up. On the day that the bigots are due to arrive I have arranged for every theatre, cinema and public venue such as museums to open up to San Francisco citizens for free. All you need to do is turn up and provide proof of address.

"There will be several concerts by various superstars who support our decision, including Dazzler. For you sports fans we have several national teams playing everything from American Football to Beach Volley ball.

"AAND… finally, we have managed to arrange several sporting events played by opposing teams of famous mutants and heroes. These include the Avengers… the real ones, not Osborn's cheap imitations, and the X-Men and many more. Playing again, everything from Volley Ball to American Football.

"To top the night off, the heroes will be broken into two teams and will engage in a spectacular battle where they will show case just what skills they use when they save the world from everything from Mutant Terrorists to Alien Invasions.

"Now, I know you are probably thinking that only the elite of the city will get in - WRONG! I have been working with my magical students on all of the various venues and they have been magically enhanced and protected. We can literally fit the entire city in any of these venues. So if you want to go and see something, don't worry about not getting in, the only reason you won't get in is if you are carrying anything illegal or aren't a resident of the city.

"So, I hope to see you all in two days time to show the rest of the world that we don't care about bigots, we celebrate everyone regardless of gender, sexual orientation, race, culture or genetic disposition.

"Bye for now San Francisco!"

"Aaaand we are clear!" The producer called out.

"That was not as easy as I remember it being." Harry said tiredly as he leant back in his chair.

"Did that a lot in your world?" Trish asked as she sat on the arm of the chair. Considering Harry owned nearly every major news cooperation in the United States he merely had to go to his favourite and have them record his message. This evening it would be broadcast to the people of San Francisco via local channels. The rest of the world would hear about it on the day itself.

"Of course. An absent leader who works in the shadows is a feared leader. A leader who merely stands there giving orders and telling the people propaganda and rules is a tyrant. A leader who takes the time to talk to his people is just another citizen, he just happens to be the one who ensures their safety and happiness." Harry explained.

"I still want to know how you managed to convince the bands, athletes and heroes to do this." She scowled.

Harry just grinned smugly. "I refuse to tell. But, as my personal friend, you get first choice of who you want to interview. You can interview them before and after the day. They've all agreed to do this to raise awareness for the situation."

"Oh god… I think I tasted a Pulitzer!" She gasped with lidded eyes.

"Careful Harry, you might have another girlfriend if you're not careful." Laura laughed from where she was watching them.

"Oh, I like Harry, but not like that. His life is far too complicated for me." Trish assured her.

The next day Harry grabbed Scott, Emma, Jean, Logan and his girlfriends/wives. He had a special guest for the day the bigots marched on the city and he wanted to introduce them, although his girls had already met them.

"You're not going to introduce the Hulk are you?" Logan asked as he found himself on the Hulk's world. "It would not be fun to see the mindless panic."

"No, the Hulk is just housing our guests. Has been since I got back from Asgard in the past."

Scott began running through the names of all the deceased Asgardians that Harry could possibly want to introduce, as well as most of the more prominent living ones like Odin and Thor.

They walked through the palace to the throne room where the Hulk was seated on the throne with his wife, Caiera on his lap whilst a pink skinned female seemed to be siphoning blood from his arm. One of the reasons the Hulk was loved on his planet was because his blood caused vegetation to grow, every day they would siphon more blood and use it to rejuvenate the barren lands.

Seated at a small table in front of them with a chess set between them was a red headed teenager and a very familiar man.

"Nathan?!" Scott gasped.

Nathan, AKA Cable, turned and smiled softly. "Hello Dad."

"When did you get back from the future? Why didn't you call or visit?" He asked slightly hurt.

"We only spent a few years in the future before Harry decided we should visit other cultures. He took us back in time to Asgard. And before she gets all pissy, you should meet your granddaughter, Hope Summers." He indicated the scowling teenager.

"Oh god, it seems like only months ago I was holding a baby in my hands."

"It was only a month ago." Laura interjected.

"Oh, right." Scott mumbled slightly embarrassed. He turned and glared at Harry. "I hate time travel."

"Please, Summers." The Hulk scoffed as he lifted his massive muscular form from his throne and deposited his wife next to him. "Even Richards, the smartest man on Earth develops migraines when we debate time travel and it's effects."

"Oh yes, I forgot that they are still serving their sentences here." Jean muttered. "How are they doing?"

"They have adapted to the rigors of the planet. Stark still has an attitude problem."

"Has he tried his escape yet? Eeep!" Dani's hands shot to her mouth as she realised she had spilled the beans.

The Hulk just chuckled. A frightening sound for any who never heard the usually rage filled creature do so. "Harry informed us of what would happen. The others are counselling him. Trying to convince him of the folly of such actions and that he should pay the price for his crimes."

"You are sounding a lot more… erm…" Lorna struggled for the right word that wouldn't cause offence.

"Intelligent will do." The Hulk allowed. "The mental barriers are breaking down between Banner and myself as I accept the truth of what we are. Eventually we will become one."

"Where are Hope and Scott?" Lorna asked suddenly.

"Catching up, I figure Dad could use the time alone with her and I warned her before you arrived." Cable explained.

"You look younger." Emma noted with a frown.

"That's my fault. I have that effect on people." Harry raised a hand guiltily.

"I really wanted to spend a lot of time with you." Scott told Hope as they sat on a nearby mountain top that overlooked the capital city. It was clear that Harry had made both Hope and Cable magicals, he had even replaced Cable's bionic arm.

"Dad told me a lot about you. So did Uncle Harry." Hope told him. "Harry had lots of memories as well. Especially of your reaction to things he did. Is it true that Loki went bad?" She asked suddenly.

"How far back did you go in time?" Scott asked.

"Thor and Loki were toddlers. We grew up together with Baldur and Sif. Heimdall is much older though."

"So you knew Harry growing up?"

"Uh huh! Harry would teach us pranks and how to use our magic… well, he taught Loki and me. Thor was always jealous that he couldn't use magic."

"He can't?"

"Uncle Harry says that Asgardians can't hold a core as they already have one."

Scott found it relaxing to talk to this young teenager. This was what he had spent the past year worrying over and he needed to know if it had been worth it.

"Hope… have you… enjoyed your life?" He asked worriedly.

"Of course! I don't remember much of my time with you in the other future but Uncle Odin was always nice and Heimdall would tell us stories about what people were doing on the other worlds. I learnt so much and had so much fun. I can't wait to see Thor and Loki again."

"Well, Harry seems to have that all planned out." Scott smiled. "Are you okay with his plan to introduce you back to the world so publicly?"

"Uncle Harry says I am the key to restoring all the mutants, but I haven't spent any time with mutants so I don't know how. But if this is the best way then great. I'll do it." She said firmly.

Simon Trask was confused as he led his march into San Francisco. He had expected the streets to be lined with supporters, protestors or both. He had expected a confrontation. He could hear the grumblings of some of the more militant members of his march who felt they were wasting their time if nobody was there to notice.

Trask had spent a fair amount of time on this walk trying to convince various major news stations to provide coverage of their march. He was simply laughed off without explanation.

There were many routes through San Francisco to City Hall. But the route Trask had planned would take them what was known colloquially as 'Mutant Town'. It was a spit in the face and one that Trask and his band of righteous humans would enjoy making.

Again, the streets were empty. The grumbling got worse as tempers rose. It seemed that this would be all for nothing.

In the distance behind him he could hear glass breaking as the tempers boiled over and various marchers descended into vandalism.

Trask couldn't do anything about the marchers that far back, he just hoped the rest continued to follow him.

"My friends! Stay true to our cause. We are approaching City Hall." He called over his shoulder, the message repeated down the line.

Finally they reached the steps of City Hall and the long trail of white shirted men began to fill the streets and open areas.

But all that greeted them was a single female cop. A rookie judging by her age. Although she wasn't in uniform and her badge was displayed on the pocket of her smart blazer.

"This is quite a large group of people. Are they all together?" She asked a nearby man.

"I am in charge here young lady." Trask scowled, annoyed at being overlooked. He was famous in America, he had spoken on Television, on the news decrying the foul creatures known as mutants. "I am the leader of this group."

"How many people are in this group?" She asked.

"Over a million." He said proudly.

"You have the paperwork authorising this gathering in front of a government building?"

Trask snarled. He had been forced to spend much of his march on the phone with lawyers who had to acquire these documents. It had been insulting. He took the wad of papers out of his shirt pocket and threw them at her.

"Careful sir. That could be construed as assault on a police officer." The cop warned.

She began to examine the document carefully. "Ok. You have arrived today at 4pm. This permit allows you to occupy the steps of San Francisco City Hall for twelve hours. You will need to ensure your departure by 4am."

"Or what?" Challenged a nearby man who like the rest of them was getting more and more angry.

"Or you will be arrested on suspicion of terrorist activities. In the wake of all these various attacks we take security very seriously in this country."

"You think you can arrest all of us?"

"We can and will. There are security cameras all around this area linked with facial recognition software. If you enter this area you are noted and recorded in the event of a crime or terrorist event. Standard procedure for all government buildings."

"Where is everyone?" Trask asked.

"Where are the fucking mutants?" Someone else in the crowd called out.

"Careful, that is racial abuse and a chargeable offence." The cop warned. She turned back to Trask. "The City of San Francisco considers your actions to be offensive. As such they have decided to ignore you. They are currently enjoying entertainment from various entertainment stars and sporting stars as well as several superhero events. They are scheduled to last until tomorrow night."

"What time will they finish for tonight?"

The cop laughed. "They won't. The venues are charmed by Doctor Harry Potter and his students so people won't get tired or hungry and so on. It's quite ingenious."

There was an unhappy grumbling as the news spread through the crowd that mutants and mutant lovers were safe and happy enjoying world-class safety and entertainment.

"Why is City Hall locked up? We came to march on City Hall." Trask demanded his anger rising.

"That is your choice. It was the choice of the Mayor and her staff to ignore you. There is no requirement for her to be present at this time."

Trask was now furious at the blatant insult. His anger began to affect his calculated hate. "Where is the Mayor now, where is the major entertainment event."

"I am not privy to the Mayor's whereabouts." Which was an absolute lie, anyone with half a brain knew where she would be. Where ever Harry was. "I do know that there is a major event being held at Giants Stadium. It is due to be televised live on every channel."

"Why weren't we informed?" Trask demanded.

"Honestly, I don't think anyone cares about you." She laughed as she turned and walked off. Her job was done. She had verified the permit of the marchers and issued the appropriate warnings and answered the necessary questions as required by the regs.

She pulled out a communicator. "This is Grant. The marchers have arrived at City Hall. They are fairly juiced and will likely head for the Giants Stadium."

She received a confirmation of her message before she put the communicator back and allowed herself to revert to her natural form. Tigra was not going to miss an awesome event like what Harry had planned. Whatever it might be.

At 6pm local time, all the news stations around the world switched to a live feed coming from the San Francisco Giants Stadium. They saw a Stadium filled with an entire city. Men, women, elderly, children, it didn't matter. There were even pets in the stadium.

Large screens filled the floor that showed a close up of the large circular stage in the centre of the baseball field. On the stage stood one man, possibly the most famous man on the planet, possibly in the universe.

"Ladies and gentlemen, tonight the people of San Francisco are going to witness something truly great and they are going to be given the chance receive an amazing gift." Harry announced over the speakers.

"First, I need to introduce a few people and our special guest.

"Please welcome the God of Thunder, Thor!" There was a clap of thunder and Thor fell from the sky to land dramatically on the stage.

Harry waited as the applause rang out. Like many of his guests Thor had participated in various forms of entertainment including American Football and beach volleyball. There was a significant female presence at the men's volleyball tournament and likewise men at the female ones.

Thor stood patiently behind Harry as his uncle continued.

"Next we have Cyclops of the X-Men." Cyclops merely teleported in. He was in his uniform. His current variation incorporated a visor but instead of regulating and controlling his powers it served as a heads up display for combat scenarios. It had actually been something the Cuckoos had developed with Runes in the alternate future when they had gone to rescue Layla Miller.

The welcome for Cyclops was just as exuberant as the welcome for Thor. The X-Men were well known and loved especially as they did a lot of community work in the city, mainly at Harry's insistence. He told the X-Men that as the most visible of mutants, if they only appeared in times of trouble then people would only associate mutants with trouble.

It was Emma who backed him up. Not because of any desire to help but because it was something both she and Harry taught in her Ethics classes.

"My last guest is a young teenage girl. The unusual thing is that she was born less than a year ago. She was the first mutant born after M-Day. In order to protect her she was taken to an alternate future where I had helped to bring about peace.

"After a few years in the future I decided to take them both to live with me in the past on Asgard. There she was trained by Odin and myself.

"Many of you have actually seen her already. The statue at the museum of Cyclops holding a baby, the baby is this girl.

"Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, I give you Hope Summers."

The red haired girl quietly teleported in and a steady applause began to rise through the stadium. Hope stood there shyly. She had been exposed to large crowds from an early age with the expectation that she would be a celebrity in her own time and reality. But she had never stood before the entire population of a city with the eyes of the world on her.

Harry raised his hands and the applause died down.

"I arrived in this world a few years ago. Mere minutes before I arrived, the Earth and its people suffered a huge loss as millions of mutants had their powers stripped away. At the time there was nothing I could do about it.

"All that energy had to go somewhere. A few weeks later we discovered that it had gone into space but returned to be absorbed by an innocent man who had no idea he was actually a mutant. The power was too much for him, and it controlled him. The Avengers and myself were able to stop him. I built him a clean body and transferred his soul into it leaving his old body full of this energy."

Harry waved a hand and clearly naked body appeared on the stage, but the body was glowing so brightly with so many colours it was impossible to determine any details.

"This is the body.

"I consulted with the best minds on the planet and on the various planets I control. No one could determine a way to put the powers back into the original owners bodies.

"Over the past years I have met many beings. From the humans like yourselves to the gods of Asgard and Olympus.

"With Hope's help and Heimdall of Asgard I can now return to the mutants of Earth what was once taken from them."

There was a brilliant flash and the huge Asgardian form of Heimdall appeared on the stage. Heimdall turned and knelt before Harry in reverence. Harry stepped forward, lifting him to his feet and hugging him. A strange sight considering Harry's slight stature and Heimdall's height.

"Heimdall is near omniscient. He can see nearly everything at anytime. Hope is the missing key, she will guide the powers out of the body here and back into the hosts they came from. Heimdall will show her where they are and I will amplify her powers.

"You are about to witness the rebirth of the mutant race." Harry said solemnly.

Harry took Hope and gently guided her to the body. She placed her hands on the body and the glow immediately enveloped her.

"I can feel it Uncle. I can see it." She whispered, her words amplified by the omni-directional microphones around the stage.

Heimdall moved to the opposite side of the body and knelt down on both knees. This brought him to eye-level with the far shorter Hope. Harry moved behind Hope and wrapped his arms around her, hugging her.

"Remember to relax and let your powers work naturally." Harry instructed.

"Look into my eyes Hope, I will guide you." Heimdall spoke.

Hope gazed into the fathomless depths of Heimdall's eyes where she saw reflected there, not herself, but the entirety of existence. She felt herself being pulled in but felt something keeping her safe regardless. It was something that Harry had practiced and taught his son. By this means he could show others what he saw.

Harry held Hope tightly, he was constantly healing her body and keeping her pain receptors off. She had never done this before and he didn't want to risk the mass amount of pain that would occur if he wasn't there as the sheer power of the energies stored in Michael Pointer's body began to flow through her.

The world watched as the energy in the body began to fire off short blasts into the sky causing people to gasp. For the first ten seconds it was sporadic as Hope got used to the sensations, but Harry had been teaching her to handle energies for years now.

Suddenly everything clicked for her. She felt the groove in which her power should flow and the blasts of energy became a steady stream as she began returning the powers to the millions of depowered mutants around the world.

Every second a blast would fly in to someone in the crowd and celebrating would begin as they found their powers restored.

Harry had another purpose for being a part of this. He too was looking into the eyes of Heimdall and he added a gift of knowledge and magic. Hope was making magicals of mutants on behalf of Harry. The knowledge was how to use magic to turn off unwanted mutations. They would now walk freely down the streets of Earth free from stares.

Suddenly, after one hundred and thirteen seconds the light faded from Hope and the old body of Michael Pointer.

"Mutants are back." Hope whispered before she slumped in Harry's arms.

A mighty cheer rose from the stadium as they celebrated the miracle they had just seen. Thor and Cyclops quickly moved forward and helped Hope into a chair that Cyclops conjured.

Harry vanished the body, reducing it to mere molecules that flew away unseen on the wind. He had promised Michael Pointer he would do this once the powers were returned. His body wouldn't be used again.

Harry just stood there smiling as he watched the crowds cheer and celebrate. He wasn't going to stop this prematurely. Hope was quickly recovering, it wasn't that power that caused her to collapse, Harry compensated for those, it was seeing just a glimpse of what her adopted cousin Heimdall saw. She had seen it many times over the years as Harry made them practice, but she had never seen it as the world changed. She was truly blessed to have witnessed it and she knew it.

After nearly twenty minutes the crowds calmed and Harry raised his hands drawing their attention.

"San Francisco is the only place outside of Wakanda that has welcomed magicals and mutants with open arms and no reservations. You knew the troubles that followed us but you saw us as simply fellow citizens. Fellow humans.

"I arrived in this world in Westchester, New York. Great Britain holds the centre of Earth's magic in Avalon and Wakanda is the birthplace of the new magical race. I would like San Francisco to be the birthplace of magicals in America.

"You might have noticed the placard on the back of every chair. It contains an oath that we developed in my home world. We call it the Oath of Civilisation. All were required to take this oath by their eleventh birthday, earlier if they were deemed mentally mature enough."

Harry stepped back slightly and a metal pole rose from beneath the stage to about waist high.

"For the rest of this night I will be channelling magic into those placards. If you feel that you can abide by that oath then grasp it with both hands and recite the oath. You will become a magical. This gift is offered freely to a people who have proven themselves as civilised.

"I warn you now that the oath is binding. If you break it your magic will be forfeit, it will punish you dependent on your crime against the oath, even up to death."

Harry grasped the pole and it began to glow.

Many people had seen the oath already having spent much of the day in the stadium. It had been on various screens as well. It was a simple oath that ensured a person would not abuse their magic or use it to abuse others. Around the stadium dots of light began to glow as people accepted the gift of magic and swore the oath. The glows were joined by other glows until whole sections of the stadium were glowing.

Hope watched in awe with Cyclops, Thor and Heimdall as the entire stadium lit up. A testament of the willingness of the people of San Francisco to live civilised lives.

Simon Trask and his people reached the Giants Stadium as it began to light up the night sky. Word had spread through the crowd what was happening as those with smart phones watched the news. Trask sped up the march, they needed to stop the travesty not realising that they were already too late.

The only problem was the security surrounding the stadium. Men in foreign military fatigues stood at the entrances, at least twenty to each entrance.

"Stand aside." Trask ordered.

"May I see your proof of address sir?" The senior officer asked. His accent was a strong African one.

"What?" Trask was confused.

"This event is for residents of San Francisco only. If you are not a resident or can not show proof of residence then we can not permit you to enter." He explained.

"I am a citizen of the United States of America. You don't have the right to stop me on my own soil." Trask declared as he tried to push his way past.

He was thrown back casually by the highly trained soldier. "Sir, these orders come from the government of this city. If you wish to file a complaint you may do so tomorrow at city hall."

"You don't have the aut-"

"Sir, I have written authorisations and requests from the City of San Francisco requesting the presence of the Wakandan army to facilitate safety and security. We are actually on loan through the UN Peacekeeping organisation, SHIELD."

This was not what Simon Trask wanted. He wanted the mutant filth exterminated. He wanted them humiliated and desecrated. He wanted the world to see that they were under threat by their very existence.

He had marched through the United States with his followers and had seen placards decrying him, but he had also seen many people join him.

With every step he had imagined the glorious victory he would have when he reached the mutant populated section. Simon Trask had no real intent to march on City Hall. He merely wanted to seemingly march his 'peaceful' protest through the city. The mutant animals would then attack as they usually did. His people would die as martyrs and they would spill their blood so that the government would be forced to put the beasts down.

But he had reached San Francisco and encountered nothing. Empty streets and homes were all that greeted him. A lone cop and clearly not a highly placed one. It stank of a deliberate slap in the face.

And now they were denied entry to a public stadium. It was the last straw, the camel's back was broken.

Simon Trask had always considered the Sentinel program to be a mistake. He didn't trust artificial intelligence just like he didn't trust mutants. But he was the brother of the creator of Sentinel technology and he was no slouch in science himself.

He had his own weapon to fight mutant kind.

Trask, like any leader out for power, never entered the battle first. No, he immediately spun around and began walking back through his followers placing his hand on anyone he passed.

"AWAKEN MY CHILDREN! IT IS TIME FOR US TO RISE UP AND FIGHT!" He shouted. But his voice had taken on an artificial, electronic quality. The people he touched began to change. Their eyes glowed blue and their skin began to burst as metal skin appeared below.

The human bio-sentinels had awakened. Trask himself had already fully transformed into a mechanical life form, the Master Mold of this iteration of Sentinels. All who were changed where killed, their bodies becoming nothing more than workers for his new hive.

The military forces of Wakanda had specific orders in the event Trask and his people became hostile. Evacuate immediately. The stadium was well protected by charms and the like, but they were foreign military and they could not afford the international scandal.

With the Wakandan forces gone the bio-sentinels marched on the entrance only to find the doors locked and unbreakable. They began pounding on the doors looking for anyway in.

Norman Osborn had been watching the protest march of 'Humanity Now!' as they moved through the country. He fully expected a confrontation just like Trask did. He had intended to use it as justification to bring the full force of HAMMER and the United States against Potter.

He also had plans to take down SHIELD and conquer Wakanda. Asgard was another threat he would see removed from his country. He was hoping the President would fight him, it would give him the opportunity to take the presidency, by force or by vote, it mattered little to him. He just wanted what he deserved: Power.

He had become frustrated when he realised that the news stations weren't going to cover the march. He had to make do with HAMMER aircraft and his own agents walking around with smart phones. He couldn't even access the satellites because Potter and his SHIELD people had commandeered them.

It got even worse when he realised the streets of San Francisco were empty. Then his assistant Victoria Hand had given him the news that sent him through the roof. Potter was providing free entertainment for the people of San Francisco. Not just any entertainment, A-List entertainment. Music, sports and even movie mega stars. All of it was being introduced by Potter and his people.

The man's ratings would go through the roof around the world. He captured the entire worlds attention. Osborn would be nothing but a footnote. A historical factoid lost in the shuffle.

But Norman Osborn was a smart man. Devious, maniacal, obsessed, insane and completely evil… but still smart.

When Trask had started turning people into those robotic monsters and attacking the stadium he had the in he needed. He had ordered his troops to move in as he declared martial law. Within minutes he had his troops moving in, he always had a substantial force located near the city just in case he had the chance to go after Potter.

Then Christmas came early for the 'former' Green Goblin. Harry and his people, the X-Men and rogue Avengers left the stadium and began attacking the robots. He even saw Thor and the Black Panther in there. He had two foreign dignitaries committing acts of war on American soil. He immediately put in place his plans to invade Asgard and Wakanda.

The Iron Patriot donned his armour and summoned his 'Avengers'. It was time to put that upstart Potter down for good.

"Lord Death, we bring you the leader of this massacre." Thor declared as he dropped the dismembered, but still alive, cybernetic form of Simon Trask.

They stood outside the stadium looking on as the various heroes examined the bodies of the million or so men and women that had fallen victim to the hidden agenda of Simon Trask.

"It's times like this that I wish I could afford to sentence him to an eternity of torture." Harry snarled.

"Why don't you?" Logan asked curiously.

"Because you never leave your enemy the opportunity to escape and retaliate. Especially ones like this monster, his soul is black with hate." Harry spat as he reached into the body and ripped out the soul destroying it for all to see. "Now he can never personally hurt anyone ever again."

"ALL OF YOU WILL STAND DOWN AND SURRENDER YOURSELVES PEACEFULLY OR WE WILL OPEN FIRE!"

They all turned to see Norman Osborn in his Iron Patriot armour surrounded by HAMMER agents and his Avengers on single occupancy flyers just hovering there.

"You knew they were there, didn't you?" Scott asked curiously. He couldn't believe that a group this size could have slipped Harry's keen supernatural senses, there were thousands of agents there.

"Yep. I knew they were coming as soon as Norman decided to give the order." Harry said with an amused look.

"And the plan?"

Harry placed a companionable hand on Scott's shoulder and smiled widely. "Scott, my friend, tonight we conquer America and bring it into the world of civilisation."

Scott watched as Harry walked over to Thor. "I have this horrible feeling he isn't joking."

Logan just pulled out a cigar and bit down on it. "You truly believe you ever had control over X-Force, Slim?"

"What does that have to do with this mess?"

Logan just smirked. "When Harry heard about it he confronted us, challenged Jimmy to a duel to prove his superiority and then drafted the team to his new SHIELD group. We've been a SHIELD wet works team ever since."

"Why wasn't I told?" Scott demanded.

"Because the kid took one look at your soul and decided it was too noble to be sullied with the filth we do. Harry outranks you, so suck it up Cyclops." Logan pulled on his mask and teleported out. He needed to assemble his team.

"Norman Osborn, stand down and surrender peacefully or I will make your last moments in existence exceptionally painful." Harry greeted the armoured mad man with an insincere smile.

"I don't have time for your parlour tricks Potter. By the end of the day you will find yourself sitting in a cell next to your beloved Professor Xavier as we use you to empower mankind." Norman taunted.

"Oh Normie, do you honestly believe that I allowed Charles to spend more than a few hours in that cell?" Harry said disappointedly. "Charles has been free and helping me since about twelve hours after you captured him. You made quite a few mistakes, first you kidnapped a friend of mine, second… well, we don't really need a second, the first was enough for me to decide to kill you."

"If you could have you would have done so by now." Norman challenged.

"Big picture, Normie. Did you ever wonder what happened to Loki or Parker Robbins, the Hood?" The Hood is dead. He is not in some hell you can retrieve him from, I erased his soul from existence. As for Loki, my little goddaughter is…" Harry paused as he assumed a pensieve face, he didn't know for sure but he could use magic to find out. "Ah! She's actually on the Hulk's planet. She is enjoying being a little girl and being loved by her family. Frigga has never been so happy."

"Do you have anymore outlandish stories to tell?"

"Erm, no. I believe that's it." Harry shrugged.

"Sentry, take him." Norman ordered.

Norman had prepped his team for days on how they would handle this day. The Sentry was the first one in. Being the most powerful person on the planet with the power of one million exploding suns he was deemed the person capable of literally atomising Potter. With him out of the way they would overcome his allies through superior force and tactics.

Everyone watched as the Sentry moved in a blur of light crashing into Harry and ploughing straight through the Earth's crust. The heroes moved in cautiously to peer in to the near endless crater. In the distance they could see the dim glow of magma beneath the crust.

"Well that was pointless." Came Harry's voice. His ethereal image suddenly appeared, glowing in the night as he hovered over the spot where he had been standing.

"You look pretty powerless to me." Norman sneered.

"That's your problem not mine." Harry shrugged. "Thor, I have a man I need to deal with, handle this for me will you?"

"As you wish Lord Death." Thor said with a deep bow.

Harry waved at Norman cheerfully before he vanished.

Thor turned to Norman and his assembled Avengers and agents. "Norman Osborn, you have attacked Lord Death, the Master of Magic. You and your soldiers have this one opportunity to surrender and face justice or we will show no mercy. Lay down your weapons and surrender."

"You are on American soil. I have a laser pointed at you from space waiting for my order." Norman laughed.

"Actually all orbital objects have been neutralised." Came a voice that made Cyclops want to cry. He tried not to react as Agent Brand walked up. "By order of SWORD.

"Do you know how much of an idiot you are Osborn?" She continued. "You didn't just attack a man with massive amounts of power and ability. You attacked a beloved leader and a friend and ally of some very powerful people. Right now in orbit is the entire Breakworld Armada along with the Hulk's forces. Encircling the city are the Inhumans and lining the shores are the warriors of Atlantis… which Lord Potter personally rebuilt.

"Now I know I'm not well liked. I can feel Cyclops edging away from me right now. But I've never gone this far."

"We fought off the Skrulls, we will defend our land." Norman challenged, he was desperately trying to contact Victoria Hand, the response he got was not what he wanted.

"I'm sorry Norman, Miss Hand can't come to the phone right now. She is currently sitting in a cell with Mystique who has been occupying my old cell for some time." Came Charles Xavier's voice over his radio.

"The offer of merciful surrender has been made." Thor stepped forward. "It has been rejected. The Avengers and X-Men do not kill so this duty falls to others."

"Thor, we may not kill. But you can be damned sure we got your back." Luke Cage spoke up.

"Agreed." Cyclops added.

"X-Force has no problem spilling tainted blood." Wolverine smiled viciously.

Cyclops was not happy about this, but it was far from the right time to start a debate.

"A few pathetic heroes and a god? I can already hear the Sentry returning."

At that moment the crater exploded in light and debris as the Sentry erupted from beneath the surface.

"Bob, they are a threat, eliminate them." Norman ordered.

All of a sudden Jean flamed in between them. "The Sentry? The being with the power of one million suns? I'm a Phoenix. I tear suns apart for breakfast, meet the rest of my fellow phoenixes." She said casually as Fawkes flamed in with the Cuckoos and Rachel.

Jean burst into flame as she flew at the Sentry causing them both to vanish, the other phoenixes soon followed.

"Just us now Normie." Wolverine taunted.

There was a flash of lightning and between the two sides stood the arrayed gods of the Earth pantheons.

"Mortal, you struck out against Lord Death. This cannot stand, prepare to die." Zeus snarled.

"Damn, I'm not gonna get to hit anything." Ben Grimm moaned from further back.

Unfortunately the gods where not there to debate and offer surrender. Harry Potter was Death, an aspect of existence and a respected being. It was an unspoken rule that when an aspect such as time, love or death was threatened the gods would band together and put an end to that threat. Even if the threat was pathetic.

The ulterior motive for the gods was that this was their way of making a stand and declaring their intent to once again become more involved in the lives of mortals.

Zeus immediately stepped forward loosing a bolt of lightning at Osborn that fried all his electronics and both Bullseye and Moonstone who were dressed as Hawkeye and Ms. Marvel respectively.

With that the gods charged into the agents knocking them from the sky as they knocked them from their vehicles. Most notable was Ares who still had much anger over being mislead by Norman.

Norman himself was quickly claimed by Zeus and handed over to Thor and Hercules for holding whilst Odin and Zeus engaged Venom. Needless to say the two princes where less than thrilled that they were not able to join the fight.

"I realise the City of San Francisco may never forgive me for this, but the X-Men and Avengers would be happy to over see the watch of the prisoners whilst you engage the enemy." Cyclops offered reluctantly.

"See Hercules, I told you that Cyclops was a true friend." Thor grinned wildly.

"Shall we?" Hercules indicated the fight in progress as he returned the grin and brandished his mace.

"FOR ASGARD!" Thor roared.

"FOR OLYMPUS!" Hercules replied.

"HAVE AT THEE!" They cried together as they leapt into the air and straight into the fray causing untold destruction that tested Harry's runes to the breaking point.

"You are absolutely insane darling." Emma drawled as she telepathically put Osborn to sleep.

"Blame Harry." He deadpanned.

In Washington DC, The White House, the President of the United States of America sat at his desk in the Oval Office watching in horror as Norman Osborn declared war on nearly every potential ally they had.

The large plasma screen showing the satellite feeds and news feeds of Osborn's confrontation would secure the end of his presidency. He and his government had been wary of Potter from the beginning. A being with that much power and charisma was a threat to their own control and position, but more importantly and reasonably it was usually the start of something really bad… like a cult.

So far Potter's actions and been nothing but good for Earth, but not always for America. He had been healing millions of Americans but it was clear that he was in an alliance with Wakanda. Wakanda was often openly critical of America, especially it's treatment of mutants.

When the Registration Act came to a head, it was made clear by Potter that he was not only protecting super humans but actually threatened the government, this made the law makers even more stubborn as they did not take threats very well, their egos were too big.

The biggest mistake that the President admitted he had made personally was appointing Norman Osborn as the Director of SHIELD. It was made clear to him that the man had a very dark history. But the image of him standing there having killed the Skrull Queen was too strong to ignore. Stark Tech was being accused of enabling the war and Stark himself of being incompetent and weakening America by enforcing the Registration Act.

Very few people knew that Tony Stark was opposed to the SRA initially. He only agreed to enforce it himself to try and prevent it being abused and the identities being released. Unfortunately it seems the pressure was too much and it drove the man to paranoia. Although Stark was placed in an impossible position.

Since Osborn was appointed as Stark's replacement, America took numerous hits. First they had suffered in the international arena as they angered the UN and it's parties by unilaterally attempting to replace the head of a UN organisation with one of their own.

But then leaks of what Osborn was doing started reaching the President. He had sat back and watched with interest as the man created his own Avengers. But when he learned that most of them were murderers and rapists he had lost his rag. Unfortunately there was little to be done considering the very public nature of their introduction.

The very public manner in which Norman had confronted and attempted to arrest Harry and assume control of SHIELD assets for HAMMER would have been a huge boost, had Norman been in the right. But he had no legal basis, everything was far too thin but the lawmakers had made it happen as they feared Potter.

With SHIELD still active and substantially improved, Norman was frequently on the news as footage of his illegal actions was shown. If SHIELD had fallen in line with America and become HAMMER then Osborn would have been able to control the media and spin everything.

It seemed that Potter had finally caused Osborn to snap as he had literally taken America to the brink of war with not just the rest of the world but a substantial section of the galaxy.

"Hello Mr. President."

The room was filled with aides and military officials watching the same screens as the President. They were advising him and issuing orders based on the need to respond. As soon as that all to familiar voice sounded the room was filled Secret Service Agents with guns out and ready to blast.

Death was in the Oval Office.

"I recommend you tell your men to stand down. Their weapons can't touch me." Harry warned. He was currently just an intangible form standing in front of the Presidents desk.

"Stand down and secure the exits." The President ordered.

"Sir-"

"What do you think you can do, Agent?" He challenged the leader of his security detail. "He's right, you literally can't touch him."

"We should get you away from him."

"You don't think I can't just follow him?" Harry asked in bemusement. "Of course running wouldn't bother me. I'll still do what I came here to do."

"And what would that be?" The President asked as calmly as he could, he was shaking like a leaf and was sure there was a stain developing on the front of his underwear. But it could just be sweat.

"America has proven itself to be uncivilised and a threat to the people of this planet. As such I am taking control of its government and infrastructure."

"You intend to conquer us?" A nearby General growled angrily.

"I already have." Harry smirked. "You don't seem to realise that at this moment you are standing in the room with Death. My allies include some of the strongest telepaths in the universe. Right now they are telling me about the people in this room. For instance, you, Colonel." He walked up to the General's aide. "You are absolutely disgusting. Murder, torture, rape. You've done it all. Even experimentation on human subjects."

Harry's incorporeal hand snapped out and pulled the man's soul from his body causing it to fall dead to the floor. The guns came out again as they watched the soul disintegrate before them.

"Holster those weapons!" The President snapped.

Harry began moving around the room as the other occupants stared in horror at the dead body.

"Wh… What are your demands?" The President asked nervously.

"Demands?" Harry asked with a snort. "This isn't a negotiation, I own this country. You follow my orders."

"What if we decide to fight you?" The General challenged.

"Well, both Wakanda and Atlantis are poised to invade on my behalf. You probably already have reports of military build-ups. You probably don't know about North Korea though."

"What about them?" The President asked.

"The problem with being as insular as North Korea is, is that I was able to go in and replace the whole government without anyone realising. They are the first members of Earth."

"I don't understand, 'Earth'?"

"Yes, planet Earth. You see, they now live to ensure peace and prosperity on this planet. Wakanda is the second member. Namor is still wary but I'm not worried, he knows he doesn't really have a choice and for now I have no problem with how he runs things.

"Latveria was going to be the third member but Old Normie forced my hand and you cemented your fate when you backed him. You will be the second country I conquer."

"You really think that three countries will be able to stand against the might of the Unites States? We have superior firepower, the strongest superheroes on the planet." The General sneered.

Harry walked up to him and stared at the man. "I don't like you. You aren't evil but you also aren't good enough to act as a guardian of the people." Harry reached a hand into the General and the man collapsed. "Don't worry, he's asleep, not dead.

"Now, in answer to the retired General's comments, your firepower was neutralised months ago. I have been travelling around the world disabling all the world's nuclear arms and other major weapons. Also, those superheroes? They signed up for SHIELD when I offered them a place.

"As for only being three countries. You need to take into account the fact that you angered every god of every Earth Pantheon by attacking me. Also, the Hulk is pretty fond of me. Might be because I brought his wife and unborn child back to life… but that's neither here nor there." He said dismissively. Also, I control the remains of the Skrull Empire and the Breakworld. So, to put it bluntly… you're screwed."

"You seriously expect us to believe you would fire on innocent civilians?" The President asked. "So all your talk of healing people and peace was a lie, a scam?"

"Why would I fire on civilians? I just need to wipe you lot out. The question is, will you give me a reason to or are you going to behave?" Harry asked.

The President sighed. "We will need to discuss this and consider it."

Harry looked at the man like he was a complete idiot. "Uh, no! Like I said, this isn't a negotiation. The deed is done. This is my country now. I am the supreme ruler. Now I need a government in place to handle the day to day stuff and your people have the experience and knowledge that will ensure that my taking over doesn't cause complete anarchy.

"If you don't want the job then fine. I'll call my friends in Wakanda and Korea and have them send some teams of bureaucrats over."

"You want us to surrender to you but you also want us to run the government for you?" The White House Chief of Staff asked disbelievingly.

"Yep." Harry smiled widely. It was clearly patronising unfortunately. "If I take out the backbone of the government then everything will fall in to chaos. You will continue to run this country as you have, but starting today there will be some major changes. All of you are decent people aside from the guy I killed and this guy." He indicated the sleeping General.

"What changes?" The President asked.

"Effective immediately, all medical care is free. Doctors salaries will be paid by myself. It will be a fixed rate and only for those performing necessary procedures."

"What about the cost of medicine?"

"What medicine? All medical procedures will be done by magicals. No cutting, no blood and chance of catching a bug in recovery."

"What about all those people who will lose their jobs because magic is replacing them?"

"They can find other jobs. By the way, all food is now free." Harry said with a serious face.

The President slumped into his chair. "Somebody call the kitchen staff, I think we are going to need some refreshments pretty soon. Better add some alcohol to the menu too."

*Chapter 25*: Epilogue  
Epilogue

All around the United States the country sat watching the news the following morning.

"Following the harrowing events last night in San Francisco we have received word from Washington that the government is capitulating to Dr. Harry Potters demands. We go live to our reporter Trish Taka- Sorry, Trish Tilby at the White House."

The image cut to inside the Oval Office. This was very unusual as interviews like this were rarely given to reporters there. Sitting next to each other were the President of the United States and Harry Potter, opposite them was a slightly scowling Trish who was not pleased with her anchorman's slip up.

"Thank you Matt." She said tightly, before she pasted a smile on her face. "I am sitting here with the President of the United States and Harry Potter."

She turned to the two men. "Gentlemen, Matt used the term 'capitulating', but that is not what I read or am hearing from either of you."

The President spoke up uncomfortably. "When Dr. Potter arrived unannounced in the Oval Office last night he made it clear that he was not 'asking' for a surrender. He was not negotiating terms. He was literally taking control and we could either cooperate or get out of the way."

"You threatened to kill the President?" She asked.

"Nah, I don't need to do that." Harry laughed. "Let's face it, I control multiple planets, I could click my fingers and send him to one of them where he would be no trouble to me."

"But you did kill someone in the Oval Office?"

"I did. The man was guilty of crimes so foul that I killed him on the spot. But there was another man who was not guilty of crimes but at the same time he was not the right material for a leader. There was too much ego in him."

"Speaking of ego, what does this make you? What title do you now hold?"

"No new ones. I have no intention of sitting on a throne and throwing out orders. As time goes by I will switch out the heads of government. This is only to prevent people getting big heads and trying to take over. It also ensures that they get a break.

"Take the President here." He indicated the man sitting next to him. "He's a decent man. He has made some terrible mistakes, Osborn being the most prominent, but he has never made a mistake out of maliciousness. So, whilst I will be removing him from his position as President in a few years, I may request he take the position back a few decades later."

"But what about the constitution and the laws about only serving two terms?"

"What would be the point of taking over if I didn't improve things? The rule about two terms is to prevent dictatorships. Many laws will be thrown out. I had intended to take over the world within a couple of centuries. But I was wrong. This world is far too volatile and I need to take action now before it descends into a complete meltdown."

"How are you planning to improve things?"

"Medical care is free, effective immediately. All medical procedures are to be performed by magic. All doctors will be trained as magicals.

"Over the next decade I will be eradicating the need for money. Food, housing, clothing, it will all be free."

"That sounds very… utopian, but what if farmers decide they don't want to grow crops if no one else will be working? Who will distribute food?"

"Education is an important part of life and it is necessary for civilisation to exist. Part of education will be community service. Many menial jobs will be filled this way, of course most will be filled by convicted criminals."

"Criminals?"

"Think about how much money goes into locking up criminals. Any criminal who is convicted will be forced into community service as part of their sentence. They need to pay for their crimes and I don't personally think that a limited loss of freedom is enough." Harry said with clear disgust.

The interview continued on much like that. Trish would ask a question or bring up a topic and Harry would answer it. For the most part the President just sat there silently. The bottom line was that other than free medical services there would be no immediate changes. Everything would be introduced over the next ten years.

"For a malevolent dictator you ain't half bad." Ben Grimm smirked as they sat in the throne room of Victor Von Doom in Latveria. Their comfy recliners were made from transfigured Doombots. They were roasting meat over a small bonfire in the centre of the room.

Harry just saluted him with a chicken leg.

"Pass the legs." Johnny Storm asked.

The platter of chicken legs floated over courtesy of Reed Richards' rubbery arms.

"I have to say, I do appreciate you letting us lead this mission." Reed said sincerely. "Victor has always made things personal between us."

"Whilst I agree it has been worse for you and your team Reed, I have to also express my thanks." Ororo smiled. "Doom has taken a perverse pleasure in meddling with all of our lives."

"I hear dat!" Peter remarked.

"Seriously, Pete. Don't, you just can't pull it off." Johnny grimaced.

Peter saw everyone else with similar expressions. "Playa's gonna hate." He sighed.

"It's 'Hater's', Hater's gonna hate. Now seriously, cut it out or I will silence your ass." Ben groaned.

"I am much better at magic than you."

"I wasn't gonna use magic, Webhead."

"I'll shut up." He managed not to sound weak.

"I still can't believe it. No more Doom." Sue remarked as she looked around the throne room.

"Yeah, what are we gonna do for fun now?" Ben grinned.

"China's been getting uppity." Harry said casually.

Everyone stared at him.

"He's really not joking, is he?" Johnny asked.

"Would it really matter?" Ororo asked. "In the end all nations will answer to Harry. Wakanda already does."

"Wakanda doesn't need me." Harry asserted. "Wakanda is practically paradise. Because of this my role is more as a protector from external threats and not internal. T'Challa is all Wakanda needs for now."

"Who are you going to ask to run China? I assume you aren't going to ask T'Challa, he already has most of Africa and now Latveria to run." Reed asked.

"Blackbolt. I've been trying to convince him to return to Earth so his people can enjoy a natural atmosphere. I can tell he is wearing down."

"Let me guess, you went Medusa." Sue smirked.

"Damn straight!"

Considering the Breakworld Armada had eradicated the Skrull's lunar invasion force before they could set foot on the moon, Medusa had been singing his praises. It might also have had something to do with making all Inhumans magical and thereby enabling Blackbolt to communicate with every one through the magical telepathy.

"Matchstick, give it another blast, there's still some intact glove over here." Ben said with glee.

The fire erupted with a woosh as Johnny blasted it and the remains of Victor Von Doom's armour continued to melt in the heat.

"You know, I thought that once you publicly started to take over the world you wouldn't have any time for us." Lorna sighed happily as she snuggled her naked form into an equally naked Harry.

Harry had grabbed his soul mates and teleported them straight to the Savage Land where Scott, Jean and Emma had vacationed before the move to San Francisco. He was fed up of all the stress and trouble and decided it was time to take a break.

All around him the other girls where relaxing naked in the sun. The beauty of this place was that they were completely alone.

"Harry, we – oh god! I'm so sorry!"

They were usually alone.

Scott slammed his hands over his eyes.

"I'm on vacation Scott, someone had damned well better be dying." Harry grumped.

"Could you put some clothes on and talk to me outside, please!" Scott begged.

"Better do what he says, lover. Scotty can't handle the hotness." Dani grinned.

Harry got up and began walking over to Scott, conjuring clothes as he went. When he reached Scott he placed a hand on his shoulder and teleported them away.

"You can open your eyes now."

Scott looked around and saw that they were in his office at Greymalkin Industries. "You were out of contact! You couldn't have left a note or something? Especially something with a warning about not teleporting in unexpectedly. For god's sake, you didn't even put the privacy runes up!"

The privacy runes were usually placed around a house, they redirected teleporters to a receiving zone to prevent people from simply popping into the house. There were also charms that provided similar protections outside buildings.

"We really weren't interested in rune work when we got here." Harry said pointedly. "Now, why am I here?"

"Why are you here?! Why are you here!?" Scott asked incredulously. "You made all these massive changes and now people are protesting! Riots are threatening to break out."

"So put them down. You know the basic rules and laws I implemented. You commit a crime and you get pumped with veritiserum and sentenced accordingly."

"Protesting is a crime now?" Scott asked challengingly.

"Don't be obtuse Scott." Harry warned. "A peaceful protest is fine. Probably won't achieve anything, but if they start threatening the safety and security of other people and property then they commit a crime and you put the whole thing down as a warning."

"They aren't going to like this mandatory veritiserum screening. It goes against the Fifth Amendment."

"It's a ridiculous law. It protects criminals, it gives them protection and harms the victims and the public even more. What is the point of a 'right' that gives people the freedom to harm others because they want to?"

"What about those who might have been unwitting or unwilling participants?"

"Veritiserum means you can question a persons motives and make a reasoned decision. The law should not be applied like a factory mould. Every case is different and has different motives, that's why murder is well defined from man-slaughter.

"What are they protesting anyway?" He asked as an after thought.

"The free health care system."

"What? But it's free health care. How can they complain?"

"Taxes. They are saying you are going to raise taxes."

"What taxes? I already cut all taxes. Nobody pays any taxes!" Harry was nearly shouting in disbelief. "For the love of god! Scott, go there and arrest the lot of them. Dose every single one of them with veritiserum and find out who was committing crimes."

"On what grounds am I arresting them though? The riots are small, minor damage."

"Arrest them for that, all the rest you can arrest for slander, libel, false accusations and anything else you can think of. There are what, a few thousand protestors?"

"A few hundred."

"There are millions of people in the country who are not causing trouble and I won't have a small few ruining life for the rest of them. Make it happen Scott, if I have to do it myself I won't be gentle about it." Harry said warningly before he teleported back to his girls.

Scott wanted to kill Harry. He knew it wouldn't stick but that was why he wanted to do it. The bastard had put him in control of the SHIELD detachment to the United States. They were still called the X-Men and the Avengers and other various teams but he was now the top cop for the United States. He answered to Steve Rogers and Harry alone.

It was a very sucky job and he was definitely putting in for vacation time. But he had to admit, Harry had definitely done what he came to this world to do. He had saved mutant kind, brought peace to numerous galaxies and countries. He had eliminated a lot of suffering as well. All that was left for him to really struggle with was dealing with the fools in the population who sought to cause trouble, and that was a never-ending task… for anyone but Harry. But Scott wouldn't find that out for a while.

The End

A/N: Yes, this is the end of this story. Shorter than the previous one but it would have been difficult to continue it after Harry conquered America. At least for me.

There is a sequel to this story, again, it is set in a different universe but this time Harry won't be going alone and it will be substantially longer. That said, it isn't finished and as you should all know by now I don't post what I haven't finished. I am not sure when it will be finished but it is one of my main projects, although a different and unrelated story may be posted sooner if I finish one sooner.

Thanks for reading and thanks to those of you who reviewed kindly.


	6. Chapter 26 (Sequel Preview)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> M-Day. A day that would go down in history as the emergence of a new breed of humans. The Magicals. It all started with one individual who thought he was there to save the mutants. Sequel to Potter's Protector, rating for violence and swearing, no slash.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a Repost all words belong to mjimeyg

*Chapter 26*: Sequel Preview  
AN: The following is a preview of the next story involving Harry Potter as Death. It is called 'Death's Little Brother'. It is a Multi-Crossover based in Smallville. More details will be available on my profile page along with the first full chapter in my story list. BE WARNED: My profile page includes spoilers such as pairings, ratings and the cross-overs involved.

There she was, laughing with her friends. No boyfriend in sight. This time he would speak to her and he would not make a fool of himself.

Ten feet… 'I can do this!'

Nine feet… 'God she's so beautiful.'

Eight feet… 'Maybe I can offer to carry her books?'

Seven feet… 'Damn it! I have too many of my own!'

Six feet… 'Why do I feel queasy?'

Five fe- 'Crap!'

Clark Kent stumbled and dropped his books.

"Clark? Are you ok?"

'Brilliant.' Clark thought. 'She notices me now.'

In the distance he could hear Chloe crowing over winning the bet. Lana Lang knelt down and helped him retrieve his books.

"Nietzsche, Clark?" Lana asked as she picked up The Will to Power. "So what are you? A man or a super man?" She smiled.

"Just a man." Clark said weakly as he began to feel weaker and weaker.

"Kid, you don't look so good." Said a male voice with an English accent.

"Strange… don't feel to good either." Clark groaned.

"Why don't you head in and I'll sort him out?" He heard the man tell Lana.

With Lana gone Clark felt instantly better. 'Why does it always happen around her?' He wondered in frustration.

"Take my advice, stay away from that girl, she is not good for your health." The man chuckled.

Clark looked up to see a young man in his early twenties with messy black hair and bright green eyes smiling at him.

"Easier said than done, we're in the same classes and we're neighbours." Clark smiled weakly.

"And you have the hugest crush I have ever seen on her." The man laughed as Clark looked around frantically, hoping that no one heard him.

"Anyone with eyes to see and ears to hear knows about your crush." The man said as he picked up Clark's books. "She probably knows."

"Oh god." Clark groaned.

"It's not that bad, she is quite beautiful. Having a crush isn't the problem. It's how you control it and allow it to control you that matters."

"What do you mean?" Clark asked curiously as he accepted the rest of the books.

"You have a crush. Accept and acknowledge that fact. She clearly has a boyfriend. Accept and acknowledge that fact. As long as she has a boyfriend the only thing you can be to her is a friend. If you try to be more than that you come off as a jerk and a fool for trying to get between them."

"So I should stay away from her?" He asked forlornly.

The man ran a hand through his hair thoughtfully. "Maybe for today. We will talk later… oh, I'm Harry Potter by the way."

"Clark Kent." He shook the man's hand. "Are you a teacher here?"

"Me? No, I just came by to wish my friends a good first day. You'll probably see them later."

"Erm… ok." Clark thought it was a little strange for an older male to be hanging around a high school and to have high school friends, but he was far too polite to say it.

The bell rang.

"See you around Clark." The man said as he began walking away, leaving Clark to head inside.

'Emma?' Harry thought mentally to his telepathic friend.

'Yes Harry?'

'Clark Kent is not human; he's a good kid though. There's a girl with a necklace that has a green stone in it. It's not an emerald, it has a really bad effect on Clark, it was killing him. I need to get a look at it or find out where it came from.'

'I will see what I can do.'

'Oh, and the guy looks like a shoe in for Scott's team.'

'I'll be sure to let him know.' Came the amused mental voice of Emma Frost.


End file.
